Family Groups
Family groups is an integral part of our school life. "That's my eighth grader!" one might hear a third grader remark in the hallway. Each eighth grader has a "family" comprised of students from each of the other grades. The eighth grader leads activities throughout the year. Some activities are community building; some are service oriented; some activities are just plain fun. Some are liturgy-based, as on Ash Wednesday the eighth graders prayerfully place the ashes on the foreheads of each of their family group members.
At the end of the year, the family group members bid farewell to their eighth grader at our all-school "Farewell Ceremony" on graduation day. Being the leader of a family group is the special privilige of the eighth graders, but the bonding of the group is often quite special as most students remain in the same family group for years, eventually becoming the leader in the eighth grade. Family groups are community-building, relational, and fun.
