Catholic Schools Week is back this year, and it’s warmer than ever. The “Escape from Winter” theme brings us out of the frigid outside weather and into a tropical paradise. To go along with the fun exotic theme, the Upper School Student Council came up with a tropical animal and a virtue the animal conveys for each day this week.
Celia Raney, sophomore student council representative, hand-picked each animal and wrote the description to go with it. Her goal was to illustrate how each animal symbolizes each virtue. The idea was that the student body should practice the given virtue each day. Unfortunately, they were unable to announce the virtues over the loudspeakers; however, they are listed here as they would have been announced.
Monday’s animal of the day: Butterfly
Starting off the week is a butterfly, which represents hope. A butterfly represents hope because they emerge from their cocoons with new life. Similarly, let’s have hope that we can have a fun and special Catholic Schools Week!
Tuesday’s animal of the day: Dolphin
The animal of the day is a dolphin, which represents the virtue of kindness. Dolphins are social and friendly animals. Today, let’s focus on being kind to one another.
Wednesday’s animal of the day: Lion
The animal of the day is a lion, which symbolizes courage. Lions are brave and not fearful. Today, let’s have the courage to do what is right.
Thursday’s animal of the day: Turtle
The animal of the day is a turtle, which symbolizes perseverance. Let’s try to keep working hard this school year.
Friday’s animal of the day: Hummingbird
The animal of the day is a hummingbird, which symbolizes peace. As we get ready for the weekend, let’s remember to be content with God’s plan for us and compassionate with each other.
Connecting virtue to a more mundane idea makes virtue easier to understand and also more fun to practice. Focusing on a different virtue each day gives students a fun variety to their week, and helps them appreciate virtuous behavior.
“[the animal theme] sheds a different light on virtue” Charlize Pedregosa ’20 commented.