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Teacher Spotlight!

This Month: Mrs. Carvellas

by Donovan Dougherty

Welcome back to Teacher Spotlight; today’s spotlight is on the math messiah, Mrs. Carvellas. Mrs. Carvellas is the GOAT of pre-calc, calculus, and statistics. Not only does she love math - she is pretty darn good at it too. When it comes to helping students, Mrs. Carvellas is a step above the rest. Mrs. Carvellas is one of the few people who can not only explain math to Notre Dame’s many mathletes but also to those illiterate in math like myself. I am still not sure why they added letters to math but somehow she manages to explain these letters for a little while. Traditionally I would ask students for their thoughts, but I was out of school. Regardless, we students love Mrs. Caravellas even if we hate math.

Freshman Retreat

by KyLee Fanton-Morrisson

On April 12th, 13th, and 14th, grades 9, 10, and 11 had separate retreats which meant they were able to take a day off from school work and have a dress down day to go do or learn different things about the community. The 9th grade retreat was more of a mental day for our Notre Dame scholars. The 9th graders went to the New Beginnings Church where they talked and connected with some of the people who were there. Some other activities that the 9th graders did was play games and get more deep connections with each other. We all really enjoyed and were thankful for this experience!

Sophomore Retreat

by Kylie Agan

The theme of this year’s sophomore retreat was “the gap”. Mrs. McCaig wanted us to realize the gaps we have that are separating us from Jesus and realize what we can do to fix them. Some examples of gaps we came up with were substance abuse, lack of faith in God, and hanging around friends who are bad influences. I found the retreat to be beneficial. I enjoyed the activity where we discussed our “knots” - various negative influences or experiences that we may find familiar, which we displayed by tying a knot into a string we were given. This was a nice opportunity for me to reflect on the things that are causing me hurt, and think about how I could eliminate them from my life, or at least try not to dwell on them as often as I do. All in all, it was a very well-organized retreat.

Junior Retreat

by Jude Mann

Each year at Notre Dame, our campus minister Mrs. McCaig organizes a retreat for each grade. This year’s retreat for the juniors was called “Battleground.” Students were first put into groups where senior volunteers were given questions to ask, starting engaging conversations regarding the personal lives and struggles teenagers go through. Each group was then given a product that tested their creativity, as they were to come up with various creative ideas for an advertisement to present to the grade. Following more group discussions and lunch, male and female students were separated into groups and given questions based on how they viewed relationships and the opposite sex. Afterward, students were blindfolded and positioned back-to-back to one of their classmates. Mrs. McCaig talked about the personal struggles all of us go through, before students took their blindfolds off, revealing who they were paired with. Finally, students wrote down someone they would like to pray for, before Mrs. McCaig read the notes aloud, for everyone to pray together. With some time to spare, students had free time to play basketball and other games on the basketball court. If you see Mrs. McCaig, make sure to thank her for the hard work she put into the retreats this year.

Living Stations

by Jude Mann

One tradition that takes place every year here at Notre Dame is “Living Stations,” which involves seniors acting out the Stations of the Cross. This takes place in the auditorium for students and staff to see. Taking place on the last day of school before spring break, the audience is able to have a sense of the emotion surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This year's seniors did an outstanding job, with Kurt Golden and Isabella Hazelton doing amazing work as Jesus and Mary.

Easter

by Gavin Meier

Easter is celebrated as Jesus Christ’s resurrection. In Christianity, the day is dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over time Easter has modernized into traditions of finding eggs, eating chocolate, and painting eggs. Good Friday is the celebration of the Friday before Easter. It is the commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter when the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is celebrated. For Christians, it is a reminder of the welcoming of Jesus into our hearts and our willingness to follow him.

Passover

by Violet Daly

One of the most revered and widely recognized holidays in the Jewish religion is Passover or Pesach in Hebrew, celebrated this year from April 5th to April 13th. In Judaism, Passover honors the narrative of the Israelites' Exodus from ancient Egypt, which is found, among other places, in the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy of the Hebrew Bible. Followers of Judaism mark the week-long celebration with a number of significant rituals, such as a seder, the removal of leavened goods from their homes, the replacement of matzo for bread, and the reciting of the Exodus story.

Stress Awareness Month

by Elle Carvellas

April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month. Stress and anxiety affect many adults, teens, and children worldwide, and it is important to understand the impact that stress can have in our day-to-day lives. Studies have shown that when we are overwhelmed and put under a lot of pressure, our productivity levels will go down because we are more prone to poor decision-making and lack of motivation or focus. So for this stress awareness month, it is important to find ways that you can reduce anxiety and look after your mind and body. This can be done by exercising, taking a break from your phone, eating more healthfully, and doing things that make you happy. When we make time for ourselves and balance out our time, we in turn have a happier mind that will have the energy to do those things that we have been putting off or seem exhausting.

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