Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
May 29, 2002
Eighth-graders develop new insights before heading to high school
Confirmation, graduation trip are rites of passage for Catholic students
By Lorenzo Chavez
Eighth-graders at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Denver learn to explore early the possibilities they will experience in high school. Eighth-grade teacher Yvonne Costello expresses pride in her class of 2002 as they squint into the future, bursting with excitement at the prospect of high school.
"We try to recognize something specifically in all of our kids," Costello said. "The kids here are all very achievement-oriented. They have all kinds of athletic, dramatic and artistic talents."
Additionally, there are other pre-teen growing pains and adult expectations.
"We rely quite heavily on our eighth-graders to set the tone for the rest of the school," said Principal Joan Sheehan, head of the school since 1986.
Discovery and renewal are part of every young student's life. For a 12- or 13-year-old Catholic student in eighth grade, much of the time may be spent learning about the sacrament of confirmation. Through confirmation students receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, fortitude, good counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord. These values gain meaning throughout the school year as the children interact and learn their personal limits and determine whether they will continue their formal Catholic education.
"I would say about 75 percent go on to Catholic high school and many to International Baccalaureate programs," Sheehan said. "We recognize everyone's gifts and talents. They're a very well-rounded group of kids."
Each eighth-grade graduating class travels on a special field trip or two every year including a five-day trip to Mesa Verde, she said. There they explore their identities and learn more about their classmates in a new, more natural environment.
"It's a bonding experience and the students get to see one another in a new light," Sheehan said. "They get a chance to grow spiritually, educationally and religiously."
The final year before high school also is an opportunity to blossom, said Costello, noting that many students tap into unknown talents in their final year at Lourdes.
"One student blossomed into a star athlete and another excelled in drama," she said. "The main product of their education is bringing out the talents not initially recognized by parents, teachers or their peers.".
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