Mary Murphy – Never Too Many Activities

I personally believe that Cathedral should have MORE school wide activities throughout the year. Things like assemblies, games, guest speakers, Mass, pep rallies, and more all positively affect the school in many ways. 

Not only do we get out of class for a little bit, but we get to spend time with our classmates and enjoy each other’s company. Freshman Ingrid Cardoza (2026) says “it’s a good time to connect with your class and build friendships with people you normally wouldn’t be with.” We talked about how it’s always nice to be able to be with your friends and peers while having fun with the entire school. During these events, we get to mix up grades, allowing us to get to know everyone at school. 

Things like Irish 500, Winterfest, and Hoco are always the highlights of the school year. Sophomore Ashlyn Jemison (2025) explains that “Homecoming is my favorite part of the year because it’s a week where you get to express yourself and show school spirit at the same time. It’s a fun time to make memories with friends.”

Even the adults in the building love it when we get together. Cathedrals new SRO officer, Officer Dom Smith, hasn’t even been on The Hill a full year and the school wide events have already made an impact on her.  She says,“it’s a prime opportunity to teach lessons in diversity, accountability, leadership, and responsibility. Large gatherings at school are a safe place for students to learn how to act in a community.” Officer Dom was a part of the Sophomores “lip sync battle” this year and LOVED it. Mr Feije explains how school get togethers “add to the holistic experience of Cathedral.” 

Not to mention, we get time away from our class. These events are often a really well deserved break from all our hard work in the classroom. Freshman Jackson Harvey (2025) explains, “Assemblies are always a good break from studying and stress.” A lot of the time, these events are things we look forward to. 

Overall, I believe we should definitely have more school wide events throughout the year because they give us the opportunity to love our school with the people around us. GO IRISH.

Lola Mullin – More Time Spent in Classrooms

Here at Cathedral pretty much everyone is involved in the school whether people play sports, in band, or in clubs… and even old traditions. Clearly, there is something for everyone. Due to this, Cathedral has an extreme number of assemblies, but there are also a lot of guest speakers. 

I love all of the traditions that Cathedral has. They are super fun and exciting. Therefore I enjoy attending them. They range anywhere from a ping pong match, to the Irish 500. So, these assemblies are very enjoyable and they are spread evenly throughout the year. 

Sports assemblies…slightly boring, and could do without. Mostly because only the people that participate in sports are a part of the assembly and the rest of the school just watches them walk around the gym. They also read off all of the accomplishments, again boring. Yes, it great to give them recognition, but a whole assembly?

Obviously, I am very grateful for the opportunity to listen to speakers from all around the U.S but there have definitely been some speakers where I have thought to myself  “this is slightly pointless and it feels like a boring lecture that nobody is interested in”. Also, due to the hour and a half assembly it leaves the rest of the school day feeling like I am just dragging myself through the rest of the day. Which, shockingly, some teachers agree with.

Mrs. Susan Mills said “It takes away from class time which we don’t have much of in the first place, but we have definitely had some great speakers”. The class periods are shorter but we have more periods at the end of the day which doesn’t sound too bad, but when students have a daily routine and it changes it can be really hard for them to stay focused.  

Moral of the story, assemblies are a great opportunity to learn about all types of different things, but class time is just as important.