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BREAKFAST WITH BABY JESUS PHOTO GALLERY

Children of all ages celebrated the Christmas season with family and friends at St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s annual Breakfast with Baby Jesus. Nearly 400 attended the December 9^th event, hosted by the Alumnae Association. A Living Nativity, presented by the Dominican High School Drama Club, took center stage in the Sr. Ambrose Reggio, O.P. Gymnasium.

At crafts tables, young visitors made angel necklaces, snow globes, ornaments, and decorated Rice Krispie treats. From her rocking chair, Mrs. Claus read Christmas stories to attentive listeners and children took keepsake photos with Santa Claus.

Children wrote letters, complete with colorful art and Christmas greetings. Entertainment by merry elves made for a festive celebration. Dominican President Dr. Cynthia Thomas led everyone in song before the cutting of the birthday cake for Baby Jesus.

Heartfelt thanks to all for donations of non-perishable food items that will be distributed to an area food bank during the holidays and New Year.

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St. Mary’s Dominican High inducted 31 students into Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, Chapter Las Adelitas, established this fall. Spanish teacher and moderator Claudia Vallejo said the students selected the name, “Las Adelitas,” in honor of the women who participated in the Mexican Revolution as commanders, soldiers, and nurses.

Spanish Honor Society membership requirements include: enrollment in an upper level Spanish class (Spanish III and Spanish AP); completion of at least three semesters of Spanish (former Spanish III students and Spanish AP students can be eligible as Associate Members); an overall GPA of 85% or higher; a cumulative Spanish average of 3.5 or higher from all previous courses founded. The Spanish Honor Society, founded in 1953 by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, is for the students of North American secondary schools. The motto of the Society is “All Together.”

St. Mary’s Dominican High School students inducted into the Spanish Honor Society (Kneeling, from left): Emma Barnes, Vivian Liu, Lorissa Gallardo, Abbey Monzon, Madelyn DeRamus, and Gabrielle Duhe. Middle Row: Alexandra Schexnayder, Kathryn Valldejuli, Indya Taylor, Haley Williams, Hannah Cao, Sara A. Miller, Paige Wilson, Dina Alawamleh, Ashtyn Darbonne, Virginia Babin, Lyndsey Jones, and Zoee Hunter. Back Row: Victoria Liu, Kayla Cook, Catherine Carpenter, Jennifer Yrle, Hallie Matherne, Tai Sutherland, Katherine Mazzanti, Olivia Singleton, Elena Bateman, Tia Peck, and Clara Garcia. Not Pictured: Corinne Ferry and Mia Nguyen.

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JCPenney Lakeside Major Appliance Supervisor Keith Kravet presents Jamie Lassere, Vice President of Advancement at St. Mary’s Dominican High School, with the JCPenney Sales for School Spirit trophy, recognizing Dominican taking first place in the secondary school division. Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School in Destrehan took first place in the elementary school division. JCPenney counted points from appliance purchases for the competition. This was the inaugural year for the event and there are plans to continue it in the spring. In addition to the first place trophy, Dominican was given a microwave for the school’s Personnel Lounge. As a congratulation, JCPenney paired with Sephora to sponsor a Dominican Day at Sephora, located inside JC Penney.

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From Chemistry classes to the Carol-Off, St. Mary’s Dominican High School students showed their Christmas spirit before the end of the year.  Students in Theresa Maquar’s chemistry classes channeled their Christmas spirit and created Periodic Table Christmas ornaments for the Chemis-Tree. Each student designed an ornament representing an element from the Periodic Table. Classes sang Chemistry Carols and made Bunsen Burner roasted marshmallows.

The week started with Christmas Carols during lunch on Monday; Christmas sweaters and socks attire on Tuesday; Wednesday photos with Santa; a Christmas movie during Thursday’s lunch; and Friday the Carol-Off! The 8th grade won the Carol-Off with their rendition of “Feliz Veritas.” Senior Elise Peyroux won the festive attire contest.

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Instant Theatre 2017, November 17 and 18, was a huge hit! Thanks to all those who participated, and all who came out for the show and donated beautiful toys for the 26^th Annual Children’s Hospital Toy Drive! The Spring Musical was revealed at Instant Theatre. Coming in the Spring of 2018 … Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella!

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Congratulations to the following band and choir students for making the District Honor Band or District Honor Choir.

First Row: (left to right) Mary Clark, Catherine Mansfield, Katie Favalora, Alexis Favalora, Amy Englehardt, Isabella Brockway, and Olivia Higgins. Second Row: Julia Costa, Mia DiGiovanni, Kamryn Gervais, Elise Karcher, and Lindsey Sellers. Third Row: Pelarr Edwards, Logan Jackson, Madison Adams, Delanie Wheeler, Molly Gaffney, Elise Bourg, and Emily Anding. Not Pictured: LIli Cerise (District Senior High Honor Choir and LMEA All-State Honor Orchestra); Olivia Olson (District Senior High Honor Choir); and Samantha White (District Youth Honor Choir).

District Youth Honor Choir

Emily Anding, Julia Costa, Mia DiGiovanni, and Samantha White

District Senior High Honor Choir

Madison Adams, Elise Bourg, Lili Cerise, Pelarr Edwards, Molly Gaffney, Kamryn Gervais, Logan Jackson, Elise Karcher, Olivia Olson, Lindsey Sellers, and Delanie Wheeler

District Junior High Honor Band

Amy Englehardt – Flute, Catherine Mansfield – Flute, Isabella Brockway – Flute, Katie Favalora – Oboe, Olivia Higgins – Alto Saxophone, and Mary Clark – Trombone

District Senior High Honor Band

Alexis Favalora – Trumpet

The District Honor Choir (Youth and Senior High) Concert will be on Sunday, January 21 at 1:30 p.m. , Loyola University’s Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall.

The District Honor Band (Jr. High and Senior High) Concert is on Sunday, January 21 – 2:00 p.m. – Tulane University-Dixon Hall.

Lili Cerise (viola) will perform at the All-Parish Honor Orchestra Festival Concert on Saturday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m. Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

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On December 2, over 100 French high school students competed in an oratory competition at Ecole Bilingue. Fifteen Dominican students chose excerpts from French literary works and songs to recite from memory or sing before a panel of francophone judges. Following their performance, the judges posed several questions to the participant regarding the chosen literary work and his or her history with the French language.

French Honors students who participated in the event were: Monica Cabes, Sara Landry, Alexandra Amato (French I Honors), Kennedy Payne, Courtney Mercadel, Mia Pettitt, Audrey Owen, Caroline Ondrusek, Rebekah Haase, Adelaide Madary, Olivia Olson, Catalina Torres (French II Honors), Emilie Wensel, Katie Zimmermann, and Sydney Raymond (French III Honors). Second place at the French II level was awarded to Freshman Adelaide Madary for her recitation of “La Musique” by Charles Baudelaire.

Vincent Sciama, Consul General of France, presented French teacher Joan Rupp with the Outstanding Teacher Award and presented to Adelaide Madary her award that included a cash prize.

 Congratulations to all French I, II, &  III Honors students for all of their efforts.

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The post Breakfast with Baby Jesus 2017 appeared first on St. Mary's Dominican High School.

BREAKFAST WITH BABY JESUS PHOTO GALLERY

Children of all ages celebrated the Christmas season with family and friends at St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s annual Breakfast with Baby Jesus. Nearly 400 attended the December 9^th event, hosted by the Alumnae Association. A Living Nativity, presented by the Dominican High School Drama Club, took center stage in the Sr. Ambrose Reggio, O.P. Gymnasium.

At crafts tables, young visitors made angel necklaces, snow globes, ornaments, and decorated Rice Krispie treats. From her rocking chair, Mrs. Claus read Christmas stories to attentive listeners and children took keepsake photos with Santa Claus.

Children wrote letters, complete with colorful art and Christmas greetings. Entertainment by merry elves made for a festive celebration. Dominican President Dr. Cynthia Thomas led everyone in song before the cutting of the birthday cake for Baby Jesus.

Heartfelt thanks to all for donations of non-perishable food items that will be distributed to an area food bank during the holidays and New Year.

The post Children of All Ages Celebrate Baby Jesus appeared first on St. Mary's Dominican High School.

St. Mary’s Dominican High inducted 31 students into Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, Chapter Las Adelitas, established this fall. Spanish teacher and moderator Claudia Vallejo said the students selected the name, “Las Adelitas,” in honor of the women who participated in the Mexican Revolution as commanders, soldiers, and nurses.

Spanish Honor Society membership requirements include: enrollment in an upper level Spanish class (Spanish III and Spanish AP); completion of at least three semesters of Spanish (former Spanish III students and Spanish AP students can be eligible as Associate Members); an overall GPA of 85% or higher; a cumulative Spanish average of 3.5 or higher from all previous courses founded. The Spanish Honor Society, founded in 1953 by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, is for the students of North American secondary schools. The motto of the Society is “All Together.”

St. Mary’s Dominican High School students inducted into the Spanish Honor Society (Kneeling, from left): Emma Barnes, Vivian Liu, Lorissa Gallardo, Abbey Monzon, Madelyn DeRamus, and Gabrielle Duhe. Middle Row: Alexandra Schexnayder, Kathryn Valldejuli, Indya Taylor, Haley Williams, Hannah Cao, Sara A. Miller, Paige Wilson, Dina Alawamleh, Ashtyn Darbonne, Virginia Babin, Lyndsey Jones, and Zoee Hunter. Back Row: Victoria Liu, Kayla Cook, Catherine Carpenter, Jennifer Yrle, Hallie Matherne, Tai Sutherland, Katherine Mazzanti, Olivia Singleton, Elena Bateman, Tia Peck, and Clara Garcia. Not Pictured: Corinne Ferry and Mia Nguyen.

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JCPenney Lakeside Major Appliance Supervisor Keith Kravet presents Jamie Lassere, Vice President of Advancement at St. Mary’s Dominican High School, with the JCPenney Sales for School Spirit trophy, recognizing Dominican taking first place in the secondary school division. Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School in Destrehan took first place in the elementary school division. JCPenney counted points from appliance purchases for the competition. This was the inaugural year for the event and there are plans to continue it in the spring. In addition to the first place trophy, Dominican was given a microwave for the school’s Personnel Lounge. As a congratulation, JCPenney paired with Sephora to sponsor a Dominican Day at Sephora, located inside JC Penney.

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From Chemistry classes to the Carol-Off, St. Mary’s Dominican High School students showed their Christmas spirit before the end of the year.  Students in Theresa Maquar’s chemistry classes channeled their Christmas spirit and created Periodic Table Christmas ornaments for the Chemis-Tree. Each student designed an ornament representing an element from the Periodic Table. Classes sang Chemistry Carols and made Bunsen Burner roasted marshmallows.

The week started with Christmas Carols during lunch on Monday; Christmas sweaters and socks attire on Tuesday; Wednesday photos with Santa; a Christmas movie during Thursday’s lunch; and Friday the Carol-Off! The 8th grade won the Carol-Off with their rendition of “Feliz Veritas.” Senior Elise Peyroux won the festive attire contest.

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On Saturday, January 6, 2018, St. Mary’s Dominican High School students, faculty, and staff welcomed applicants to Dominican for High School Application Day. After completing the High School Placement Test, applicants enjoyed eating king cake and mingling with current Dominican students.

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St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s basketball team recently won the Silver Bracket title in the Allstate SugarBowl Classic at the Alario Center by beating rival Mt. Carmel in the title game. Grace Hamblin was named Tournament MVP and Kylie Barre was named to the All-Tournament team. The team’s successful season record is currently 22-2.

View the post-game interviews with Grace Hamblin and Coach Ryan Reuter – 

Dominican holds off Mount Carmel for Sugar Bowl Silver bracket title

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A Toast of Praise to the St. Mary’s Dominican High School Debs who competed in the January 13 and 14 American All-Star Louisiana State Dance Competition. The Debs came home with many accolades and their coaches were proud of the class and sportsmanship they showed throughout the weekend! The Debs travel to Florida for Universal Dance Association (UDA) National Competition February 3 in Disney World. 

Deb duet and ensemble competitors Saturday, January 13. Kneeling (from left): Corinne Ferry, Paige Wilson, Abbey Monzon, Madelyn McGovern, Virginia Babin, and Alison Dupre’. 2nd Row: Sasha Lewis, Abby Mandella, Claire Oster, Eliza Miller, Katelin Obletz, and Reiley Macicek. 3rd Row: Madelyn Waguespack, Abrial Suarez, Carlie Bujol, Hannah Jacquet, Bailey O’Quin, Riley McCluskey, Clare Gagnard, and Sophie Ross

The Dominican Debs after the American All-Star Louisiana State Dance Competition Sunday, January 14. Kneeling (from left): Corinne Ferry, Paige Wilson, Abbey Monzon, Madelyn McGovern, Virginia Babin, Alison Dupre’, and Chloe Mahl. 2nd Row: Sasha Lewis, Abby Mandella, Molly Moran, Reiley Macicek, Hannah Chaddock, Katelin Obletz, Claire Oster, Eliza Miller, Kaitlin Dawson, Aubrey Gaudet, Claire Adams, and Trinity Harvey. 3rd Row: Carrington Williams, Madelyn Waguespack, Abrial Suarez, Carlie Bujol, Hannah Jacquet, Alyssa Ordoyne, Bailey O’Quin, Riley McCluskey, Madison Robichaux, Clare Gagnard, and Sophie Ross.

Solo Division

In the solo divisions, 9 soloists were chosen (3 from each division) as finalists out of the 70 that competed. The Debs had 3 of those 9 – one in each division.

Junior High (6th, 7th, 8th graders):

Katelin Obletz – finalist and 2nd place overall 

Junior High School (9th, 10th graders):

Rylie McClusky – finalist and 2nd place overall

Senior High (11th, 12th graders):

Maddie McGovern – finalist and 2nd place overall

Duet Division

Deb Captains Maddie McGovern and Virginia Babin competed and tied for first place, however, received second place in a tiebreaker rule.

Ensemble Division

The Debs entered Hip Hop and Jazz routines for ensemble competition (a group of 3-10 girls)

Out of 14 ensembles:

Hip Hop Ensemble – 2nd place overall

Jazz Ensemble – 4th place overall

Team Division

Hip Hop – 1st place Division III, 2nd place overall State, Choreography Award, Technique Award

Pom – 1st place Division III, 2nd place overall State

Jazz – 2nd place Division III, 3rd place overall State

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Dominican volleyball team members and coaches joined students and coaches from Mount Carmel Academy, Archbishop Chapelle, Cabrini and St. Scholastica high schools, and Loyola University to present the Tulane Cancer Center medical staff with a check for $41,234 from the schools’ Pink Games fundraisers. The funds support patients through Tulane Cancer Center’s Patient Relief Fund that provides assistance for cancer patients facing financial burdens that could become barriers to their care.

At the check presentation, Pink Games Founder David Mocklin, Head Athletic Trainer at Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine, joined Payton Nunez, Abby Slattery, Alexis Ceravola, Emily Jaeger (Athletic Trainer), Sarah Wild, Jessica Chatellier (Coach), Hannah McGowan, Ashlee Juhas (Coach), Sophie Herbert, Elise Peyroux, and Katie Mouton. (Tulane University photo by Paula Burch Celentano).

In addition to tours of the Tulane Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, visiting students also met patients and the medical staff. Patient Deneen McCormick-Phillips was diagnosed cancer when she was dealing with the death of her son. She said the grant she received was, “an unexpected blessing that helped to sustain me for several months. The students who helped to raise these funds should be applauded. They didn’t even know me, but their efforts helped to uplift me at a very difficult time. Thank you seems like too simple a phrase to express my appreciation.”

Dominican’s “Paint The Pitt” Pink volleyball games last October raised $13,446.66 from tickets and t-shirts sales, plus game day fare of Plum Street Snoballs, Parade of Prizes, raffle, bake sale, and Dominican Dad’s Club concessions. Café du Monde was on campus earlier that day and donated 100 percent of their sales of beignets and coffee toward game proceeds.

Jessica Chatellier, Chair of Dominican’s Health/Physical Education Department and Volleyball Coach, said for the Dominican community, “It is an honor that we get to participate in such a great event. Everyone who takes part in the Pink Game, is helping someone in our community deal with the financial stress that cancer can cause. We started this event nine years ago and we have grown so much. I can’t wait to see what we do in the future.”

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Lou Reilly Award Winners

The Lou Reilly Award is presented in memory of a wonderful Dominican graduate. For many years she had served the community as an educator with a special love for athletics and student athletes. She saw athletic competition and sportsmanship as an important part of the Dominican High School spirit. The award recognizes the athlete who continually tries to improve her skills and listens to her coaches and teammates. This athlete encourages her teammates and gives her full effort at each moment. The student athletes themselves have a nominating vote in the selection of this athlete. The final decision is left to the discretion of the coaches.

VARSITY SWIMMING: Lucy Hood

VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY: Elizabeth Bourg

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL: Payton Nunez

JV VOLLEYBALL: Ali Firmin

8TH GRADE VOLLEYBALL: Laila Mullen

8TH GRADE CROSS COUNTRY: Amy Englehardt

Louisiana High School Athletic Association All-Academic Scholar Athlete Program

Presented for outstanding academic achievement by maintaining a cumulative Grade-Point Average of 3.5000 or higher during their academic career while participating in varsity high school athletics.

Payton Nunez –  Volleyball Division 1

Sarah Wild – Volleyball Division 1

Abigail Slattery – Volleyball Division 1

Elise Peyroux – Volleyball Division 1

Caroline Hensley – Cross Country Class 5A

Claire Karcher – Swimming Division 1

All-State Team

8^th grader Kelsey Major was named to the All-State Cross Country team.

Congratulations and a “Toast of Praise” to our student athletes!

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The post March for Life 2018 appeared first on St. Mary's Dominican High School.

Click to view slideshow.

On January 19th, 50 students from St. Mary’s Dominican High School joined thousands at the 2018 March for Life in Washington, DC. Here are some of their reflections on the experience.

Celia Candies, Class of 2019

My trip to Washington, D.C. was much more than marching to expose and end the horrible truths of abortion. It was a spiritual experience. The ways that I was able to connect with God were abundant. I learned so many important points on the respect of human life and how close we are to ending this abortion epidemic.

One person I learned the most from was one of my bus group leaders, seminarian Viet Pham. Viet taught me two important things that guided me through my trip. First, do not be afraid. When you are not afraid, you have complete trust in God and completely believe that God is meeting our greatest needs and desires. To have trust in God is knowing that he is looking out for all the souls troubled by abortion. The second lesson Viet taught me is that we must focus on God before all things. Focusing on God was one of my biggest learning experiences on this trip. At the ministry night after the march, there was adoration. At adoration, I was able to see many teenagers giving themselves completely to God. They were in tears by the amount of love that they had for God. This was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced because I was able to see them focusing on God with no shame that anyone around them would judge their thoughts or beliefs. The amount of strength they had was amazing. Not holding back your emotions for God and not caring what others think is one of the most amazing things I saw on this trip.

Focusing on God is something that I will forever work on in my life. Focusing on the ways to stand up for the unborn and unheard children that are lost to abortion is something I will also continue working on for the rest of my life. This trip will always hold a special place in my heart because of the people who I learned from and the amazing amount of faith I gained for God.

Brooklyn Comeaux, Class of 2018

In my daily prayer, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening,” (1 Samuel 3:10), I heard God calling me to attend the March for Life. I had no idea going into the trip what it would be like, what I would encounter, or if I would regret my decision to go. I expected a trip where I would see Washington, D.C. and for one day March for Life. However, the trip exceeded my expectations in an incredible way. Through several Masses and adoration, my relationship with the Lord grew in a way I did not know was even possible. I learned new ways to pray, how to see the Lord in the most remote things, and that God lets us know exactly what we should do when He calls us. 

The Lord called me to be on that pilgrimage, and the Lord calls me each day to do His work on earth by fighting for life. Each person deserves the chance at life, and I also learned the pro-life movement supersedes just combatting abortion. It means we should live each day treating others with the dignity and respect they deserve. It means we should respect all life no matter young, old, or physical/mental ability. It means that we should thank the Lord each day for the life He gifts to us by simply waking us up each morning. This trip changed my life in a way that I could never forget even if I tried. I am forever grateful that I heard the Lord’s call for me to attend the march.

Molly Derbes, Class of 2018

March for Life 2018 did not start as I had hoped; however, I am happy to testify that it did make a tremendous change for the better. Early Wednesday morning, while our bus was stranded in the Walmart parking lot in Meridian, Mississippi, there were several other buses stranded in the ice on the side of I-59. I started doubting that this trip would meet my expectations based on my memorable trip last year. Quickly, these thoughts changed the moment I started to pray the rosary with my classmates on the bus. As we prayed the rosary, I started to recall all of the events that had happened since I had gotten on the bus just a few hours before. Even though some of the events were scary, I thought about how they could have been so much worse. From that moment on, I knew this trip was going to change me in a way that I could not imagine.

This trip was transforming for me once I learned how it impacted other classmates. I was nervous that no one would want to talk about how the trip affected her and that some would be too frightened, but I learned that everyone was eager to share. We learned so much from our Youth Minister Sister Benedicta Turner, S.S.P. and Seminarian Viet Pham. Their influence made a profound impact on all of us.

One major focal point was gaining an understanding of how to pray. From this trip, I learned that prayer is not always an easy process and does not always need to be formal. As Viet told us, he learned recently that his easiest way to connect with God through prayer is through his imagination. This taught me that singing songs in adoration could be my way of prayer with God. This provided a feeling of comfort for me.  Listening to others sharing how they pray, I learned was one of the most common ways that I pray to God. This new understanding of prayer was the change for me, even though I did not realize it while we were praying the rosary, stranded on a bus in the parking lot in Mississippi.

Reflecting on this, if some of the buses had not gotten stuck, then our bus would not have said the rosary at that moment that led me to understand this common way of prayer that I use all of the time. I am thankful not only for the opportunity of this trip, but also the new ways my prayer life is changed forever.

Meredith McKeough, Class of 2019

I have wanted to participate in the March for Life for as long as I can remember. While I am passionate about many things, the fight to end abortion tops my list. I had extremely high expectations for this trip, and I was terrified of being disappointed. Now, I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. In fact, this trip shattered every expectation I had. 

The theme of our pilgrimage was, “Where is your God?” I could not get that simple, but powerful question out of my head the entire trip. In every situation, I found myself thinking, “Where is God, really?” When our bus was delayed in Meridian, Mississippi for hours, I found God in my wonderful classmates. Our delay was filled with fun and positivity during a very frustrating time. I knew then that God was at work in our hearts. The impatience in me was gone and I enjoyed our plus 30-hour bus ride more than I ever could have imagined. When we visited the Holocaust Museum, the question of God’s presence was weighing on my heart more than ever. I was having trouble locating God’s love and mercy in the midst of all the horrors presented in the museum. As I was walking through a room filled with the names of the victims, I found my answer. God was present in the people who lost their lives in the name of religion and freedom. God was in every one of those innocent victims, just as He is present in the innocent victims of abortion. 

Viet Pham, our seminarian on the trip, told us three things as we departed for Washington, D.C. The one that stuck with me most was “You are meant to be here.” Prior to this trip, I knew in my heart that God was calling me to be an outspoken activist for the Pro-Life movement. When Viet told us that God put us on the bus together for a specific reason, I understood. I knew that God was using us in a unique way as voices for the voiceless. What I did not realize, was that God also intended me to be on this pilgrimage for a conversion experience. The months leading up to the march tested my relationship with God to its breaking point. I was in a place where I thought that my sins were unforgivable. God intended for me to be present on this pilgrimage so He could reveal Himself to me in His full splendor during adoration when I felt the overwhelming power of God’s forgiveness wash over me. It seemed as if God was telling me He loved me, I was already forgiven, and He would never leave me. Those words changed my heart, and I am forever grateful that God put me right where I was supposed to be on this life-changing trip. I am a better person for it. 

Katie Mouton, Class of 2018

When packing for the March for Life trip, I had no idea what to prepare for. I knew I would pack the largest, fuzziest coats I owned, along with an abundant amount of hand warmers and gloves. I didn’t realize I should have prepared myself for the spiritual experience that I was about to partake in during this trip.

At first, the activities planned seemed exciting, but nothing out of the ordinary. On the first day, we toured the Holocaust Museum, walked around the National Mall and viewed the Lincoln Memorial. The following day we woke up early for breakfast and attended Mass. During Mass, I contemplated everything I could possibly imagine. Within the next hour, I was about to take part in something I strongly believed in, the March for Life.

I was beyond excited for the march, and it was prepared it to be a very important experience. The directors of the Archdiocese of New Orleans packed everyone a boxed lunch and water to energize and hydrate every one of us. On the way to the marching site, everyone on the bus began to sing songs that we all knew very well. A bus full of Dominican students, we immediately began to sing the infamous “Light the Fire,” a song that the Dominican community sings as the closing song to almost every mass. We sang every word at the top of our lungs, as the moment we had been waiting for was finally about to come. Another song we could all relate to was Dominican’s Alma Mater and the “Toast of Praise.” We shouted the Toast of Praise words louder than ever before. As I shouted, I felt a different rush than I usually do. This time, I was preparing myself for something that I was about to fight for, something that was bigger than I was.

This march was to stand up for all the innocent unborn babies who have been aborted. Our protest was not just to shout and hear our own voice, but to speak for the voices unheard. Knowing that people whom I had never met before surrounded me, yet who were marching for the same reason I was, was an indescribable feeling. As the march ended, everyone was exhausted, and we got back into the bus for the ride back to the hotel. I was unaware there all New Orleans students were to have an hour of adoration where we could finally reflect on the significant day we just had.

I am going to be honest. As a talkative teenage girl, I was not too thrilled to have to sit in silence for the next hour. This time was somehow different. Not to be cliché, I felt as though a transformation was taking place in my heart. I immediately started sobbing as I felt such an immense appreciation for my life. My day was filled with standing up for unborn babies, but I had never once thought to step back and be grateful for the opportunity to even speak out against abortion. Many people, including myself, take life for granted and tend to be wrapped up in negativity. However, several other people, particularly the unborn babies, never get the chance to go to school, play a sport, or even stand up for what they believe in. A simple trip to Washington, D.C. quickly became a five-day physical and spiritual journey, and a change in perspective about the power I have in my opinions. I have discovered that, although the world is much bigger than I am, my voice has the power to stand for those who never could.

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