There are a few life-defining moments when everything that was important yesterday is no longer important. In mid-March, educators and parents alike threw aside to do lists and focused on new priorities in the education of their children. With time, we are readjusting, rescheduling, and remembering. We don’t want to forget the upper elementary mother and child retreats that took place before school closed. Here’s to happy memories and to looking forward to moments like this again in the future!
Third-Grade Boys
The third-grade boys made history this year as the school was able to offer a mother and son retreat thanks to the new structure of school-level teams this school year. The retreat started with Mass celebrated by Fr. Thomas Salazar. During the homily Fr. Thomas ask the boys what they want to be like or be able to do when they grow up. Some boys talked about being really good at sports and becoming a professional player. One shared he wanted to be able to slam dunk a ball, and all the boys nodded in agreement that would be pretty cool. Then Fr. Thomas asked what do they think will make them a real man, having a beard, big strong muscles, owning a car or a house? One boy said being a father; another said being honest. Father explained how a real man is one who is led by God and virtue.
Seniors Alex Earnhardt and Fernando Caccia helped serve at Mass and then led an activity with the boys. They also shared with the boys how grateful each of them are for their own mothers and how important it is not to take our moms for granted. They brought the boys to the chapel to pray a decade of the rosary with the boys for their moms. After praying for their moms, the boys brought their moms a paper each of them had designed and decorated for them. Then they went to the gym to play kickball with their moms, everyone had a blast.
The retreat ended with each boy telling his mom five things he loves about her, and each mom telling her son five things she loves about him.
Fourth-Grade Girls
During the fourth-grade girls’ mother and daughter retreat, the group had a special visitor helping to lead the activities, senior Madeleine Arbogast. After Mass, while Madeleine took the girls back to classroom to give them advice and have them make cards for their moms, the moms stayed in the chapel with Miss Rose where they had a brief reflection, the opportunity to go to confession, and then a time of fellowship and sharing in the commons. During the time of sharing, the moms talked about how important it is to try and find one-on-one time with their daughter, and how this time does not need to be fancy or extravagant. Ideas include that time being a moment where she is alone in the car on the way to practice or the first Sunday of the month right after Mass she knows she has 10-15 minutes alone just with you. The reason for looking for time alone with her is to build a relationship with her, where she knows she can talk to her mom and get advice for whatever she is going through at the time.
Once the girls finished their activity with Madeleine they came down to the commons area where they played a game: girls versus the moms, seeing which team could fill out a map of the United States with the names of the states. The moms won! Then each mom and daughter sat together while they each took a short quiz, seeing how much they knew about each other.
Fourth-Grade Boys
Seniors Gage Harris and Matthew Stafford helped lead the fourth-grade boys mother and son retreat. Gage and Matthew shared that they enjoyed the time with the fourth graders and that they were appreciative they had the opportunity to be a role model for them. While the senior boys lead an activity for the students, the moms had a reflection and then question and answer time with Mr. Cross about raising boys. Then moms and sons filled out a quiz about each other before playing kickball together.
The fourth-grade boys each shared what was their favorite part of the retreat with their mom:
- Johnny: My favorite part of the retreat is spending time with my mom and playing kickball.
- Dominic: My favorite part was kickball
- Zekie: Kickball was my favorite part, and I want to have a retreat with my mom next year.
- Brooks: My favorite part was taking the quiz with my mom.
- Joseph: My favorite part was kickball and having the high schoolers come.
- Drew: My favorite part was kickball and being able to sit with my mom.
- Adam: My favorite part was playing kickball, being with my mom, and having the high schoolers come.
- Jonah: My three favorite things of the mother and son retreat were going to Mass with my mom, doing the quiz, and having the high schoolers come.
- Landon: My favorite parts were kickball and the quiz. I would like to do this again next year.
