By Mary Beth Peabody and Peter G. Sánchez
In recent conversations with the newest graduates of Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Camden, the Star Herald asked what advice graduates would have for incoming freshmen or transfer students. One answer was universal — say yes. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
They all believed this was possible by being in a smaller school, where even someone with no experience can try something new and maybe even excel at it. And where there is no judgment if they don’t. They told us classmates encourage one another to get outside their comfort zone, to join new clubs, try new sports and participate in school events.
So we probed a little deeper, asking them how saying “yes” led to surprising outcomes that added to their own high school experiences.
Camden Catholic’s Harrison Keller came to the Cherry Hill school an athlete, and then discovered the arts and music, which he wants to continue through college. His classmate Mya Whiles never imagined herself as a public speaker, but she found herself in front of the entire school talking about Black History Month.
Chris Medolla of Saint Augustine, Richland, didn’t realize how much he loved swimming or that he could excel at it, but he tried out his sophomore year and found himself swimming every day.
Sajan Young knew little about football when he tried out for the Saint Augustine Prep team. It wasn’t his strongest suit, but it gave him the confidence to try out for track, where he excelled.
As a freshman, Madeline Fawcett from Our Lady of Mercy, Newfield, never have imagined being asked to deliver a speech at graduation, but by senior year she was confident and comfortable. Classmate Emily Torrence had a similar surprise when she found herself speaking to parents and students at shadow day, dressing up for spirit day, becoming a mentor and just having fun in high school — an experience she didn’t have before she transferred to OLMA her junior year.
The peer leadership program at Paul VI, Haddonfield, helped Ben Trauger see himself as a leader, and he loved mentoring freshmen. After speaking before a large crowd, classmate Erika Ezeiruaku was shocked by the number of people who told her they were moved by her words. She now actively seeks public speaking opportunities.
PVI’s Iris Horng and Colin McGarvey found their biggest surprises on the academic side. For Iris it was discovering a love of math, which will be her college major. For Colin it was learning what he was capable of when accepting the academic challenge he had not faced in public middle school.
Had a teacher not asked him, Ethan Guldin would never have thought about writing for Gloucester Catholic’s school newspaper. Bailey Heiney is still surprised to see herself lectoring, not just at Gloucester Catholic, but at Saint Mary Church as well.
Emily Duer reluctantly agreed to represent Gloucester Catholic at elementary school events. She grew to love the role and developed public speaking skills she never knew she had.
As a junior, Chris Liscio took up soccer for the first time, learning the game while on the team with veteran players.
At Wildwood Catholic Katherine Black, who had never played tennis, learned how and joined the school team, while tennis player Annika Marks decided to give the swim team a try.
Baseball player Ben Church discovered junior year wasn’t too late to take up soccer, the same year Sean Dougherty, who has always loved singing in the car, discovered how much he enjoyed doing it on the stage in “Mama Mia.”
Coming soon: Meet all 33 Senior Showcase 2020 graduates in a special Star Herald online feature.
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