4/28/23 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption: Our Kindergarten Students Meet Carver, Our Newest Staff Member!

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

The eighth graders and some of their parents and Father Dooley returned home Friday

night from our first out of state class trip since 2019. The class voted for visiting New York

City over other choices. Although it was the most expensive of the options available, thanks to

a hard-working group of parents and the students themselves, the final cost for the trip for each student was

under $200.

I was able to follow their adventure through photographs and texts. The weather cooperated. More

importantly the students cooperated as you will shortly see.

This was the first Our Lady of Peace trip where we allowed and encouraged parents to accompany their

students on the trip. As these students get ready for high school and all that it entails being able to spend

some time together was memories that will not soon be forgotten. Just as I heard of no stories of students

misbehaving, I got no bad reports about the parents either!

The following is an email I received from Shelley Ullom, mother of Maggie and trip participant. I think it sums

up nicely what we try to build with our families at Our Lady of Peace:

“I just wanted to send you a quick note and tell you how wonderfully proud we are of the 8th graders and how

AMAZING they have been!! We’ve had so much fun with ALL of them! We’ve gotten compliments on how

respectful and kind they are and how they try to make a connection and conversation with the adults around

them (even strangers)."

Having 29 13-14 olds traipsing around NYC is not an easy task, but they handled it with so much maturity and

brought a lot of Midwest love to the city! Every student participated, listened, and was included. It will

hopefully be a long-lasting memory for each of them, but I continue to be blown away with how they

conducted themselves.

So, way to go OLP for helping to guide and raise our children in a community that is full of love and grace and

has allowed them each to grow into wonderful young humans!! Have a great weekend! “

In these final weeks of their time at Our Lady of Peace I have no doubt that like eighth graders (and twelfth

graders) everywhere they will have their moments of end of their time “itis.” While we will continue to push

for them to keep working and learning, I know that their minds are on the upcoming summer and the

adventure of high school yet to come. In other words, I have no doubt that they will drive their teachers and

parents crazy!

This class did not really get to finish their fifth-grade year because of COVID. They spent their first year of

middle school masked and isolated in a room most of the day and their seventh grade masked for most of the

year. But as Shelley Ullom attests, they have been learning, not only academically but in so many other ways

as well.

With their Confirmation in January, the Church recognizes them as full adult members, ready to build His

Kingdom and spread the Good News. The NYC trip was their Pentecost moment where they had the

opportunity to go out into the world a bit and reveal their true good character. It seems as if they succeeded

wildly in that endeavor.

Jim Silcott