2012-10-19 - Union Catholic Regional High School

Peer Ministry Training DayStudents walked across the catwalk and heardthe screams of encouragement from their peers below.Strapped on by a harness, each peer minister slowlyclimbed up a post the size of a telephone pole and facedhis or her fears while gaping downat the view, stepping backwardsand landing safely on the ground.The Peer Ministry Training Daywas on September 19th, and thejuniors and seniors of Peer Ministrywent to Kearny for a day of teambuilding activities.Once the Peer Ministersarrived in Kearny, the morningstarted with trust activities andlearning about the importance ofspotters. The first main activity wasto have the group of fifteen balancedon an uneven board and staybalanced for a few minutes. Afterthat was achieved, the group had tofigure out how to get everyone offthe board while keeping it balanced.Both involved a few keyleaders and cooperation from theentire group. Students had to listen to each other andstrategize how this could be done.The next activity involved a net lifted about tenfeet in the air. Each member had to get into the net oneby one. The easiest way to accomplish this was to havetall people lift everyone in. The more challenging partUC Dances All Night LongBy: Madison SimonHazel Lee ‘14 walks across the catwalk.By: Jillian Gonzalesof this was for the last few people because they had to climb inon their own. Then, each person had to get out, which involveda lot of trust from the person falling out of the net and beingcaught by his or her peers. "The netactivity was great team bonding!" ArnoldMajano '13.Later, the group did small obstaclesthat were two inches off theground. These involved teamwork becausewhile one person went, two peoplehad to guide him along the way.The Peer Ministers helped each otheralong the way and encouraged eachother to go quickly.During the afternoon, theharder challenges began. There wasrock climbing, which involved a lot ofupper body strength and determinationto get to the top. The other activitywas the catwalk, where many PeerMinisters faced their fear of heights."The obstacles pushed us to our limitsand made us stronger as a group," saidAndrew Ghizzone '14. At fifty feet in the air, each personwalked across a beam while the group below cheered and gaveshouts of encouragement. This was not an easy task for manybecause of the great distance off the ground!The day ended with a brief meeting and a half hour busride home. Overall, the peer ministers learned about each other'sstrengths and weaknesses along with their own.Union Catholic’s Back-to-School dance was a hit. Students of all ages raided the dance floor. This was the first time thatfreshmen had a chance to participate in a UC event as students ofthe school. Accordingto those interviewed, a great time was had by all. DJ-Pros had themusic up as eagerstudents entered the building. “It was loud and [looked like itwas] going to be agood time,” said Dana Couto ’15. The lights and music drew eve-rybody in.There are few times in high school where the upperclassmen so-cialize with the underclassmen,but as the night went on students of all ages had theopportunity to mingle.“We want our school to bond,” explained Mrs. Leegan. Thedance was open toUC students only, and because of that, the school really got to-gether. At any givenmoment students of all ages were dancing together. At a particu-larly fun portion ofthe dance, a circle broke out at the center of the dance floor. One UC students dancing to the Cupid of our own UC studentsbegan to breakdance. The whole crowd was wild. Saul Lo- Shuffleran ’16 was able toperform backflips right in the center of the dance. “I had somuch fun at thedance,” said Saul later. “I was with friends, got to express my talents, and it all went well.” Every student at the dance wascheering for him. It was an amazing example of how the students of Union Catholic practice the core value of communityeven after school hours.Beverages were on sale in the gym foyer for the students as the dance went on. This kept everyone well hydrated in thehot gym. It was estimated that about 200 students attended the dance. The Back-to-School dance kicked off a number ofstudent council events planned for the year. Coming up soon, student council will be running the Halloween Parade.