As Trinity Catholic’s celebration of Catholic Schools’ Week drew to a close, students arrived at the junior high campus on Friday ready for one last day of fun before regular classes started again. As soon as the schedule for the day was released, everyone realized that it would be fun, maybe even much more than they had hoped.

After heading upstairs to everybody’s respective homerooms for attendance and lunch count, students reported to the auditorium for a special ceremony called the Blessing of the Throats. This blessing, which is meant to protect from diseases and ailments of the throat was performed by Father Frank Murray and Father Dan Greenleaf, with the assistance of Principal Bonnie Marsh and teacher, Ms. Patricia Milton. Both priests also gave a very interactive homily together. Allie Lewandowski, grade 8, said, “It was a really great service. everyone enjoyed it and there was a very prayerful atmosphere.”

By ten o’clock the day was just getting better. Following mass each homeroom was instructed to create both a banner and a cheer for the basketball game against St John’s School, another Catholic school from Brunswick. The cheers and banners reflected both Trinity pride and unity with St. John’s. As the students filled the gym, the Trinity basketball teams practiced while they waited for the game. Finally, the game began. It was a nail-biter from the very beginning and the fans in the stands cheered loudly for their school. Each team, the girls and then the boys, played for two twelve minute halves, and both games resulted in ties.

By the time the basketball games finished, every person in the building was hungry. Lunch was served, and to try and create unity between the schools, Trinity was told to leave one side of the lunch table open for St. John’s students. This was a great way to meet new people, and by the end of lunch just about everybody had made at least one new friend from a different school. The students rushed upstairs with their new friends, eager for the dance to begin.

To the students’ temporary disappointment, they had to wait before the real dance could begin. For a little while there was confusion when a man stepped up on stage who was not supposed to be the DJ. He soon introduced himself as Brett, and informed us that he would be teaching some hip-hop dancing. Over the next half hour, he taught everyone how to hop, jump, spin and slide. By the end of his lesson, the gym was full of laughing and dancing, and not just from the students. The teachers seemed to he having a pretty good time, too. In fact, Mrs, Lori Rioux, who teaches English and math at Trinity Catholic, was the DJ! She played songs that everybody liked, such as Face Down by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. For over an hour the gym was loud and full of fun and excitement. It was a blast.

Unfortunately, the fun had to end eventually. The dance was great, but at two- thirty the music stopped and it was time to get ready to go home for the weekend. Although the school day was fun, none of the teenagers wanted to stick around all weekend! All in all, it was a fun and exciting day and a great way to celebrate Catholic school all over the U.S.