Irish For a Day: Behind the Scenes at SHC

David, a Saint Cecilia’s 8th grader, shares his experience as "Irish for a Day" at SHC!

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When I first entered SHC for the Irish for a Day Program, I was overwhelmed by the sea of high schoolers. Coming from a school of 600 kids, it’s honestly a bit frightening. When the program began, all the guests headed into the chapel for an icebreaker and introduction to the school. After the introduction, we all went to a photography class with Mr. Little. We paired up and edited any picture we wanted using Photoshop. I had a lot of fun making Tim Hudson throw a potato fastball. The photo class really helped me get used to the school and truly made my day. After the photo class, I was ready for the next three hours. I met my guides and my 8th grade partner for the tour, and I definitely became less intimidated by the crowds of high schoolers. I had two guides: a senior and a sophomore. We headed to our first class—AP Chemistry with Dr. Musallam. He lit a strand of magnesium on fire and explained how and why it burned as bright as the sun. Afterwards, we discussed the different ionic bonds of molecules and two students demonstrated how molecules move by bumping into each other and pulling apart. [caption id="attachment_370124" align="alignright" width="240"] David (center) with SHC student ambassadors Sam Zaroff ’15 (right) and Will Bogdan ’17 (left).[/caption] We went on to our second class, English with Mr. Knapp and received an inviting welcome from the class.  We examined Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, and Mr. Knapp explained the word structure for Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Knapp instructed about three fourths of the class stand in the middle of the classroom acting as the groundlings, or peasant audience members, and the remaining kids stood on the perimeter of the classroom acting as the wealthy people at the play. I thought it was an ingenious way to engage the class. He then explained how social status played a role in the writing of Shakespeare’s plays. When the bell rang, we headed off for an acting class with Mr. Bohm. When we arrived, we received a warm welcome from the class, and the teacher led the class in an activity called Thumpers. We had to use quick thinking and strategy to knock off the “king” of the game. It was, overall, a really fun and engaging class. After a few collaborative activities, we headed back to the fitness center for a conclusion our day. We shared our favorite parts of the day with all of the other visitors, just in case they missed something. Overall, I enjoyed being “Irish for a Day” very much and based on my experience, I would be proud to attend SHC next fall.