Today I am wearing purple. Not because it is my favorite
color, but because it represents my favorite high school – Cathedral High
School.
I can vividly remember my first day at Cathedral in
September of 1987. I was a nervous freshman as I got on the bus with my plaid
skirt and collared shirt. How would I get around this big school? Would I make
friends? What if I didn’t like high school? As we pulled up to the school on
Surrey Road my fears started to dissipate and a suddenly knew I was where I was
meant to be – at Cathedral High School.
I can also remember my graduation day in May of 1991, like
it was yesterday. Our class graduated in Symphony Hall. Sitting up on the stage
I couldn’t believe that four years has already come and gone. I was now a
Cathedral graduate and I was leaving as a confident, determined young woman
ready to take on the challenges of college and beyond.
So what had happened in those four years? I received a solid,
Catholic high school education and the Cathedral experience encompassed more
than just academics. Community service
projects, retreats, extracurricular activities and athletic events were all
part of the package.
Cathedral gave me an incredible opportunity to grow academically,
personally and spiritually. The faculty continuously challenged me to work
harder and smarter. They brought learning to life in every subject, challenging
me and my classmates to think for ourselves, to ask questions and to discuss
issues – all within a safe, Christian environment. My leadership skills emerged
at Cathedral High School. I wasn’t afraid to run for class office, I gladly
raised my hand to take the floor at Model Senate and I won an award for best
small delegation at Model UN.
Cathedral showed what it meant to be a part of a special community
of individuals and the responsibility that comes with that privilege. Whether
cheering at a Panthers Game in my purple sweatshirt, doing community service
projects with classmates, attending a Teen Encounter weekend or going to my after
school job at the public library still in uniform, I was always proud to represent
Cathedral High School. Twenty-three years later I am still proud to represent
Cathedral!
Cathedral prepared me not just to succeed at college, but in
life. My experiences there, which were facilitated by the most caring and
invested teachers and staff, laid the foundation for my future success. The
values taught at Cathedral, which echoed those taught by my family, have made
me a better person, a better friend, a better colleague, a better wife and a
better mother.
I don’t where I would be today without Cathedral High School.
Please save Cathedral so the next generation, my children’s generation, can
have the same experiences I did!
