Claire Lindblom –
Holy Spirit School
Eighth-grade students at Holy Spirit, including myself, volunteered to work with both Hand in Hand Ministries and the citizens of Auxier, Kentucky, to help with the construction efforts that they may not have been able to complete themselves. Growing up in a Catholic community, the importance of service has always been emphasized. Holy Spirit has assisted outreach efforts in the Louisville area, as well as Kentucky as a whole, and I am proud to be part of a community where giving back is such a core value.
Sophia Redella –
Holy Trinity School
At Holy Trinity, I have been fortunate to participate in activities that have strengthened my faith and immersed me in service. One event I will always remember is our eighth-grade Appalachia Mission Trip. The people I met were so welcoming and enthusiastic, even though many had lost their houses due to flooding. In meeting these people, I realized that people who had lost almost everything could still come together and enjoy the world God created. I discovered the community at Holy Trinity is just like the one in Appalachia: We are a family and I am so glad to be a part of this one!
Kennedy Stetson –
Our Lady of Lourdes School
Our Lady of Lourdes has been home to me. With the best students, staff, and parents, I feel loved and cared for. Every step of the way has brought me closer to God, friends, family, community, school, and myself.
My most memorable moment is from my experience with Kentucky Youth Assembly. I was in seventh grade when my teacher suggested I participate in KYA. I fell in love with the program. The bill we wrote achieved the most votes, and I won the Outstanding Speaker award. This experience not only helped me become a better teammate but also made me a better version of myself. It helped me learn how to fight for what is right and become a better leader. I cannot thank Lourdes enough for the opportunities given and the memories made.
Owen Singer –
St. Francis of Assisi School
Through my middle school experience at St. Francis of Assisi, I have learned many lessons which I am confident would not have been learned somewhere else. Most importantly, I have been given an extremely good education which has led to fruitful returns like my SAT score, my acceptance to a selective magnet program, and my Governor’s Cup experience. None of this would have been possible without the group of compassionate and understanding students and staff who helped to fuel my curiosity. I am confident that I would not be the same person, with the same accomplishments, with the same friends, without St. Francis of Assisi.
Grace Dicken –
St. Margaret Mary School
Being a student at St. Margaret Mary for the past nine years has been something I will cherish forever. Everyone here is a part of this huge family, where everyone can be themselves.
I first realized this during our Confirmation retreat. During this retreat, our grade became closer than we ever have before. We got to connect to God, learn about each other, continue to grow our faith and learn even more about ourselves. I remember looking around at the end of the day and thinking to myself how lucky I am to be a part of this community.
Magdalena Spalding –
St. Agnes School
In third grade, the St. Agnes Class of 2023 helped complete a service project at the Earth and Spirit Center. We set to work preparing the earth for the creation of a wetland. Teachers and students alike spread clumps of hay across the muddy ground.
We learned about the importance of wetlands: how they filter water, prevent floods, and create habitats for many species of plants and animals.
Five years later, the wetland still thrives.
Knowing that our class has created something that lasts, something that we can be proud of and reflect on through service to the Earth, is beautiful.
I am grateful to St. Agnes for providing our class with this opportunity.
I still feel pride in our class when we revisit the wetland and see the good we created.
Candice Glaser –
St. Martha School
The Merriam-Webster dictionary says, “Home is a place of residence.” To me, home’s somewhere I feel comfortable and safe, which is how I’ve felt the past nine years at St. Martha. Recently, our class took a trip to a cemetery and led the Stations of the Cross. Having others gather with us to pray made me truly proud of the shamrock on my uniform.
St. Martha is where I feel safe expressing my emotions and faith. That’s why I agree with vocabulary.com: “Home is also the place we feel most comfortable, loved, and protected.”
St. Martha is home.
Julianne Davis –
St. Rita School
I have had many memorable experiences here at St. Rita. My favorite will have to be safety patrol. During safety patrol, a group of eighth graders helps with dismissal. We get kids to their cars and make sure everyone gets in their cars safely. When we do this, I get to know more about these kids and make them feel appreciated. It feels very good to do this and make these kids feel safe before they leave school. I always make sure to ask them how their day was and what they did at school. Sometimes I even give them a hug if they need one. This is definitely the thing I will miss the most.
Leah Best –
John Paul II Academy
When I talk about memories that I have made, I think of retreat. Retreat showed all of us our true feelings and emotions. We cried, had fun, and relaxed. Retreat was one of my most memorable things about being here at John Paul. My most fond memory of retreat was when we got to read our letters from our parents and close relatives. We’ve all built trust in one another and created a bond together. We have also learned to lean on someone like God and others. I learned to love God and my friends as family even more.
Kaitlyn Wohl –
St. Patrick School
I’m proud to be a St. Patrick Celtic because of the teachers and the sense of community that care about you and your education.
The teachers here at St. Patrick genuinely care about your well-being and education, and will take the time to help you or even just check up on you. This is something truly special because more than once I’ve found myself asking teachers for advice, help, or just talking to them about my day.
This has been extremely helpful in my education because I know that I have the backing of many teachers throughout the school. This is something truly special and really gives meaning to being a Celtic, because I know that not all schools or students are this lucky.
Isabelle Schuckmann –
St. Bernard School
For as long as I have gone to St. Bernard, I think the year I will remember the most is seventh grade.
In seventh grade most of my class made Confirmation. After the pandemic, we finally had been in person for a few months and could see our classmates. In class, we studied more than just religion, we prepared for Confirmation. During Confirmation we all tried to calm each other’s nerves and be supportive to each other.
I remember after being confirmed meeting up outside of church with my friends and just feeling happy — happy that I got to do this sacrament with the people I have been with since first grade.
Lyla Becht –
St. Aloysius School
A moment that impacted my faith and learning at St. Aloysius was my eighth-grade Gasper River Retreat trip.
This trip was a great experience, and I learned so much about my faith. I grew closer to all my fellow classmates and teachers. During this trip we did fun activities, and the activities all had lessons to do with our faith. The people at Gasper River were awesome, and they would answer questions about our faith, which was very helpful. I’m just thankful that my school would give me such a special opportunity to grow in my faith with my fellow eighth-grade students and teachers.
Jake Buckman –
St. Nicholas Academy
Out of all the wonderful years and experiences at SNA my favorite moment was when Mr. Trueblood taught us about the pyramid of success.
The pyramid of success was created by coach John Wooden, and it is made up of important traits and core values that set up a person for individual and team success, which has helped me become a better leader as an athlete and as a disciple of Christ in my daily life. I am so thankful that Mr. Trueblood has taught me this, because this is something so important to me that I will remember and use for the rest of my life.
Amelia Guarino –
Notre Dame Academy
Building beds for those in need was one of the most gratifying moments of not only my time at Notre Dame, but also of my life. I was able to work at Sleep in Heavenly Peace with other members of my school’s Y-Club. We prepared enough supplies for Mr. Recktenwald and his team to build 10 beds. Knowing that our hard work provided children with a bed to sleep on was an indescribable feeling. It felt so good to know that we were able to help out the little kids across Louisville who had to sleep on the floor every night.
Ester Line –
St. Francis of Assisi School
I remember the time when my classmates and I went to Catholic Charities to help new families settle in. We were excited to help the parents, and the little ones to learn English. When we got to the building, I felt the comfort of home because I had been there before, when I had first gotten into America.
As I looked out to my classmates helping new families, it opened the eyes of my heart. The sounds of laughter and joy booming in my ears made me feel at home. It made me take my classmates as my family.
Jaden Garren –
St. Paul School
When Mrs. Burba was announcing the eighth-grade winner for Good Samaritan, I was anxious and had chills down my arms and legs. I was shocked when I heard her say: “Jaden Garren.”
I sat there for a second processing my name, and I slowly walked down the aisle of the church as everyone clapped and stared at me. Once I got to the altar, they gave me my award and all I could do was smile and be proud of myself. To get this award, you would have to show kindness and faith. I have tried to be helpful to everyone, and although it wasn’t easy, I did everything I could to help. I helped others understand their math, reminded them what we have for homework, and when I had the chance, I would stick up for them.
Being at a Catholic school my whole life has made my faith grow stronger and has taught me to be a better person. I loved all eight of my years at this school; Catholic schools are the only schools I would go to if I had the choice.
Kanan Calvert –
St. Margaret Mary School
Eighth grade at St. Margaret Mary was chock full of memories and fun. One experience that especially stands out to me was when our eighth grade went to Washington, D.C. The trip spanned four days, and on the last day we went to the Washington Basilica, the church was sprawling and gave a sense of grandness that I have barely ever seen. The Mass started with a deep organ sound that echoed all throughout the church.
It was a special moment to me and my grade. That Mass is still engraved in my brain and will always remind me of my final year at St. Margaret Mary.
Anika Wingard –
St. Aloysius School
One memorable moment related to service and learning that has made me feel good about being a student at St. Aloysius is working with Hand In Hand Ministries in Auxier, Ky., and Wayland, Ky. I learned so much from this trip, not only about building the house, but I made a relationship with the person I helped and my classmates. It was a great experience to grow my faith and was very eye-opening. I felt so good after the experience knowing that I have helped someone in need, opened my eyes to new culture, and continued growing my faith. This mission trip was the best experience I’ve ever gotten to do.
Lexi Jacob –
Sacred Heart Model School
My most memorable service moment is the WaterStep shoe drive I hosted at my church in the fall. It was the largest shoe drive I have ever organized and over several weeks the church community collected 1,451 pairs of shoes!
It was so amazing to see the community come together to step up to support the WaterStep mission which is to save lives with safe water. This shoe drive meant the most to me because over 480 people now have access to safe water for the rest of their lives.
Jack Lang –
Holy Angels Academy
I can’t even remember a time in my life when being pro-life wasn’t a major part of my identity. Praying the rosary for the end to abortion, both at home and in front of the abortion clinic, and attending the annual Walk for Life have been things I have done with my family for as long as I can remember. The pro-life movement has always been incredibly important to me.
This is why the moment I was most proud to be a student at Holy Angels Academy would have to be when Holy Angels won an award for having the most people attend the Walk for Life.
