English poet John Milton once used the term ‘silver lining’ to describe the way the sun’s light reflected off of a darkened storm cloud, choosing to see God even in the scariest of places—in this case, a looming storm. This year has been quite a storm. A pandemic has overtaken the U.S. and has resulted in over 300,000 deaths. Riots have broken out all across the nation over the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. A polarizing presidential election has shaken the country and brought with it a surge of animosity for the ‘other side’ of the aisle. It is understandably very difficult to see the good from the past twelve months. Yet, in the midst of endless adversity and constant difficulties, the SLUH community has prevailed, continuing to search for the silver linings and make the best of even the darkest situations. The Prep News looks at five different aspects of the school—Campus Ministry, the fine arts department, the freshman class, SLUH’s clubs, and the administration—to highlight some of the many rays of light that have emerged from this bleak year.

Campus Ministry brings about spiritual consolation

SLUH Campus Ministry’s response to both the pandemic and the lack of spiritual opportunities shows how anything is possible in a pandemic. Despite the logistical challenges posed by 2020, Campus Ministry was able to navigate many obstacles to bring about a greater sense of hope in the SLUH community. 

“I think our attitude from the beginning has just been: let's find a way,” said Director of Campus Ministry Joseph Hill S.J.. “Now we have not been able to do everything, but for most things, we were able to find a way.”

“I think our attitude from the beginning has just been: let's find a way. Now we have not been able to do everything, but for most things, we were able to find a way.”

Director of Campus Ministry Joseph Hill S.J.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit was the first all-school Mass of the year and came at a time when Campus Ministry was unsure how all-school Masses would work in a pandemic setting. It also featured the new Jesuit provincial and the final vows of SLUH’s principal Ian Gibbons S.J..

“The situation wasn't ideal,” said Hill. “But I think it was a way to reunite the community after obviously a long time apart, and to ask the Holy Spirit to bless our year.”

While retreats might seem unfeasible during the pandemic, Campus Ministry has done extra to maintain a safe and spiritual atmosphere. Campus Ministry has had five retreats this year, all of which had positive reviews.

“I saw Francis Alfrod a week after the retreat and he said, ‘This is the best retreat I've ever been on,’” said Hill, who attended the Junior retreat over Thanksgiving break. “I know that Kairos with the seniors was also a great moment for a lot of those seniors. Retreats are so important. They're essential to our formation program, and we just weren't going to let them go.”

One new event that Campus Ministry has hosted this year has been the Food, Faith, Formation gatherings (FFF). These monthly gatherings are fun ways for students to gather together safely during the pandemic in order to pray and meditate, as well as, play and eat food with friends.

“It was a great way to bring the whole school together and bond,” said Junior Alex Mittendorf. “I have really missed seeing people during the pandemic, but this has been a fun and safe way for me to interact with people.”

For Campus Ministry, being resilient and finding joy in the small successes has been vital to maintaining a positive outlook and staying hopeful in this crazy year.

“Resilience is that you just keep going. You take the hits but you don't give up. Every single program is the story of how we got it all the way through to the end,” said Hill. “We're not at the top of Mount Everest, but the fact that we're standing at the top of something is a great accomplishment.”

Fine Arts spreads joy through their talents

In our Danis Lobby, written on a crest ingrained on the floor, are the words “Religioni et Benis Artibus”, which translates to “For Religion and the Good Arts”. It’s a motto SLUH displays proudly, and it’s one that SLUH has been faithful to even in the pandemic as fine arts teachers flex their creative muscles to work around the difficulties imposed by the pandemic.

“I've always believed that a good teacher has to be reflective and willing to change if things aren't working in the classroom. This year has really put that to the test,” said choir director Addie Akin.

Akin, normally someone who creates and sticks to a rigid schedule, has found that she now has time to interact more with her students beyond the usual choral instruction. 

"While I'm proud of my level of organization, at times it can be a hindrance. I'm so tied to that schedule, that I can't pause to answer a student's somewhat off-topic yet important question," said Akin. "This year has afforded me TIME to do that. It has forced me to slow down and focus more on my students as people." 

For Akin, the students are a big part of why she has been able to persevere and make a class that’s still enjoyable and interactive.

“Honestly, it took me a while to find a groove this year. There was a definite grieving process regarding 'normal,’ ” said Akin. “However, I remind myself every day how fortunate I am to have a job. How fortunate I am that my students are still able to sing. How fortunate I am to have students with a seemingly endless supply of smiles and goodwill.”

“Honestly, it took me a while to find a groove this year. There was a definite grieving process regarding 'normal.' However, I remind myself every day how fortunate I am to have a job. How fortunate I am that my students are still able to sing. How fortunate I am to have students with a seemingly endless supply of smiles and goodwill.”

Choir Director Addie Akin

This year has been especially difficult for choir and band due to the nature of singers and woodwind/brass players to spread aerosols further than the average student, but despite the added difficulties, both programs threaded the needle and allowed students to experience music together.

For senior Michael Krausz, the whole experience has opened his eyes to what he's always taken for granted.

"Online we had to do playing assignments every day. And there really wasn't as much joy in that because you're just playing by yourself," said Krausz. "That really makes me value playing in an ensemble a lot more, simply seeing everyone every day and talking with them in your section and things like that.”

Krausz, more than anything, feels that his experiences in the pandemic have taught him about appreciating every day and not falling into the routine of ignoring the small things.

“Things are going to get back to what we call quote unquote normal at some point. But, you know, certain things have changed,” said Krausz. “Just live every day. Live every day because you won't know when stuff like this is gonna happen.”

Unlike the band and choir programs, whose problem was far-reaching aerosols, the dance program’s core problem was the lack of wriggle room, both literally and figuratively. With the six-foot guideline in place, dancers were confined to a personal ‘dance box’, which was taped on the floor of the dance studio. 

However, undeterred by the restrictions, dance teacher Simonie Anzalone used the opportunity to focus more on the basics of dance and thought creatively to choreograph dances that were still interesting while maintaining a safe distance.

“The focus has been more on the process of learning a dance, the elements of dance, and understanding the craft of choreography and not so much on the performance,” said Anzalone. “I'm also very grateful to the technology team for coming up with a way to project virtual students on the large screen in front of the room so that we can really feel like a community dancing together.”

For Anzalone, 2020 has shed light on what’s important and allowed her to restructure both her class and other things in her life to make sure her priorities are straight.

“For me, personally, 2020 has been a year of reprioritization—a year that has been focused on the people in my life instead of the things, wants, or desires. The opportunity is to live in the present because the future is so unpredictable,” said Anzalone.

All three programs have taken advantage of the new digital platform to perform and record virtual concerts to be edited and sent out for the SLUH community to enjoy.

At the dance concert, which took place this past Saturday, Dec. 12, Anzalone felt that the students were finally able to experience a feeling of togetherness.

“The dress rehearsal and concert recording day were one of great solidarity,” said Anzalone. “It was touching to hear that one of the highlights of that day for the freshmen was meeting their classmates in person for the first time. They noted that it was incredibly energizing to get to dance together, especially knowing that the community would appreciate and enjoy watching their recorded performance before Christmas.”

A common sentiment among the fine arts teachers was a sense that they had grown in some way, ready to take their newfound knowledge and apply it to future classes.

 “While incredibly stress inducing along the way, I'm excited to have been pushed to reimagine the dance curriculum at SLUH,” said Anzalone. “It will only make me a better teacher.”

Freshman class shines their light

Out of all the classes at SLUH this year, the freshman class has overcome the most adversity. From trying to meet new people in a hybrid schedule to tackling their rigorous course load, the freshmen have been challenged, but like Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, they have faced these difficulties head-on.

“They only saw each other in Zoom,” said Campus Minister Stephen Deves. “They had to find a couple classmates and sit at a table for lunch behind plexiglass, and it just didn't feel like an easy way to make friends.”

Despite these initial challenges, the freshman class has bonded through Freshman Formation day, Freshman Retreat, and Direction Days. They have also come together through their classes and the clubs that they are actively involved in.

“They have found some friendships, and they have fun with each other. They'll hang out after school, as they're waiting for the ride,” said Deves. “It took them a while, but they seem to really be, in some sense, making the most of it.”

While the hybrid schedule is often seen as an obstacle for unifying the freshman class, Deves sees it in a different light, believing that it allows the freshmen to develop more personal relationships with the smaller number of students they have in class.

“I really like the freshman pastoral team. It's weird because we only have half the group at one time. But those half group meetings, they really love, and they really enjoy being there once a week and getting to be with each other. It's become a very small group kind of community where they get to know each other, bond, and grow closer.”

Deves, who teaches Juniors for math but occasionally substitutes to teach freshmen, has noticed a difference in the energy and participation that the freshmen bring in comparison to his junior students.

“(The freshmen) are energized. They are excited to be in class. They're excited to answer and to participate and to be with each other,” said Deves. “Those are the kinds of things that have impressed me—that they are enthusiastic even when they are struggling.”

“(The freshmen) are energized. They are excited to be in class. They're excited to answer and to participate and to be with each other. Those are the kinds of things that have impressed me—that they are enthusiastic even when they are struggling.”

Campus Minister Stephen Deves

While it is easy to be pessimistic this year, Deves and the freshman class are looking on the bright side, living each day in the moment and not allowing it to go to waste.

“I think that's what in general this year has been about. This is our only freshman year, and we're gonna take advantage of what we have and get to know these people in our lives at the moment,” said Deves. “It might change next year, but this is where we're at.”

Clubs find a way

The quintessence of the “U High experience” revolves around clubs. For many students, the classroom is only half of their time at SLUH, with clubs and extracurricular activities filling the rest. While the pandemic has made the logistics of clubs difficult, the extracurriculars have persevered, many organizations thinking creatively to continue from and expand on the stuff that they have done in a normal year.

Many clubs have been able to host more speakers this year, albeit via Zoom. The Men for Life club had a mini speaker series, inviting Aimee Murphy of Rehumanize International and Jacinta Florence of Students for Life of America. The One World club was able to invite Juan Pablo Villalobos, author from SLUH’s summer reading book, and Luz Rooney from the United Nations Association. All of these speakers have brought new life and energy to these clubs.

“It was tough to get meetings off the ground this year, and speakers gave us a great chance to get attendance up and get people excited,” said senior Daniel Hogan.

Clubs were also able to take advantage of the excess time that came out of the crazy scheduling. During the Spring, the SLUH Energy team, a subset of the SLUH sustainability club, made their very own energy model of the Danis Field House. SLUH Student Media was able to take the excess time to set up their club, which has taken off this year (read the SLUH student media article on page 9).

Yet, for many clubs, just being able to meet has been a huge highlight. When being able to gather has been a luxury, clubs offer an invaluable opportunity for students to hang out.

“People are all over. We really get to actually develop connections because, since we are all hurting, we get to strengthen our bonds and people,” said Bollini. “It's like when you break a bone, you know, the spot where your bone fractured is weaker, but the rest of the bonds are strong.”

For senior Brendan McLaughlin, Smash club has been vital in providing a place for students to relax in a year where there are very few places to connect.

“It's mostly just a good way to chill out with people and just relax after school and take the edge off,” said McLaughlin. “Everyone is a bit on edge with this pandemic, so it is good to give them a space to blow off some steam and connect with others.”

Fighting for the good in this world

As we continue into the Christmas season, students and teachers alike have started to look back on this year and reflect on everything they went through—the long nights, the stressful weekdays, the demoralizing defeats, but also the good times with friends, the breakthroughs after being met with a brick wall, the uplifting successes.

To SLUH President Alan Carruthers, it’s inspiring to look back on all the rough situations SLUH has had to brave and note the hard work and innovation that has arisen to face the challenges.

“We’re not sending rockets to the moon, but you know what, we’re going to school in a pandemic,” said Carruthers. “We’re the only school at this size that’s testing our athletes and keeping them safe. We’ve had no mass quarantines. We haven’t had to shut down. The story behind the scenes is that a lot of people have been doing a lot of amazing things—working longer hours, creative thinking, (people) stretching themselves outside of their comfort zones, treating others with dignity and respect when they don’t agree with them.”

Carruthers’s faith has played a big part for him in focusing on the good things and trying not to be bogged down by the negatives.

“I think sometimes perspective is a choice,” said Carruthers. “You choose to walk in darkness sometimes, or you choose to walk in the light. I think faith is a critical part of that.”

Noting the success of the virtual Cashbah, Carruthers hopes to continue innovating and learn from his good experiences in 2020 to make 2021 all the better.

“I think it’s been really nice to watch my own kids but also to watch all of you guys come to the realization that, for all the complaining that’s done about school, when it’s gone, you really miss it,” said Carruthers.

For Anzalone, it wasn’t always easy to stay optimistic, but a small sentiment written by poet Leslie Dwight helps remind her that things could be worse: “What if 2020 isn't cancelled? What if 2020 is the year we've been waiting for? A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw—that it finally forces us to grow. A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber. A year we finally accept the need for change. Declare change. Work for change. Become the change. A year we finally band together, instead of pushing each other further apart. 2020 isn't cancelled, but rather the most important year of them all.”

“And, while many may disagree, I do not believe that what makes SLUH, SLUH is the academic rigor,” said Anzalone. “I truly believe it is this part of SLUH's mission statement, "building Christ’s kingdom of truth, justice, love and peace"  that sets us apart and ultimately matters most.”

For Akin, the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, through the character of Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings, helped make sense of things.

“It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something. ("What're we holding on to, Sam?" Frodo asks.) That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”