Kickin' off Canstruction

Canstruction kickoff was a great way to introduce why we need to collect cans for Dare to Care. It really put an emphasis on the importance of what Dare to Care does and how much it depends on Assumption for cans. I also loved seeing the girls do the can-can relay. I laughed so hard at everyone!
~Katelyn S.
Last Tuesday was Assumption's annual Canstruction kick-off. As always, the assembly was so much fun - but it also got pretty crazy. Girls doing the can-can with cans? Not exactly something you see everyday! The assembly was great because it got all the families pumped up and ready to bring in those cans. Not only do we want to win, but we also all see the importance of this event. The cans will be donated to Dare to Care and we have a history of bringing some of the biggest donations. It's great to have something like Canstruction to be able to help people and have a blast at the same time!
-Anne D.

Fall Break

Fall Break is a time you can spend with your family or friends. This fall break my family went to Gatlinburg, Tennesse and my Danish exchange student, Michelle Dahl Pedersen, came along with us. We got to know Michelle better throughout the trip. We ate at many different restaurants. We also saw the new Titanic exhibit. At night we would walk along the streets and look at the different shops with our carmel apples in hand. We loved to ride go karts and race each other. It was a very eventful fall break and one that I will always remember.
~ Alex M.

It was so wonderful to have a few days off from school. October is the month when everything gets busy, so it was nice to have a few days to catch my breath. On my days off, I was crazy busy. My sister, an AHS alum, was home for the weekend from college. It was so fun to catch up and visit with her. Next, my youth group went on retreat this weekend. We spent time bonding over bible study/worship, ultimate frisbee, adventure activities like high ropes, star-gazing, and much more. It was awesome to spend time out in nature with a few AHS friends, as well as others. To conclude the weekend, my mom and I attended the Rand Paul & Jack Conway Senatorial debate. It was so cool to be at a live televised event, experiencing history in the making. Even though I can't vote, I learned so much about today's issues. It was a great evening! Fall break was a BLAST, but it's great to be back at school.

-Julia C.

A Visit to St. Vincent de Paul

Editor's Note: This is reprinted from the St. Vincent de Paul blog at http://www.svdplou.org/blog.html. Students in five of teacher Angela Lincoln's social justice classes recently toured the St. Vincent de Paul campus, including the Ozanam Inn men's homeless shelter and St. Jude Women's Recovery Center. A few of the students were invited to blog about their impressions.

St. Vincent de Paul was truly eye-opening for me. It's one of those experiences that doesn't come around everyday, and I'm very grateful to have been able to go there and witness homelessness firsthand.
There were many things that affected me, but perhaps most prominent in my mind is listening to our speaker share her story. In my family, we have a cousin who struggles with heavy addiction and it was refreshing to know that there are services out there that are more than willing to help whoever they can.
I'm grateful to have such a wonderful service center in our city that is fighting to help relieve homelessness, especially in this economic decline. Finally, I'm more than honored that the people there were willing to share their personal stories, which led me to be very impressed by their faculty, staff, and clients.
-- Chloe Zoeller

Fall Pep Rally

The fall sports pep rally was a high energy celebration of the wonderful things Assumption's sports teams are achieving. We were able to learn a little about each team while getting pumped up about there upcoming games/matches/meets. The whole school was taught cheers that we can use when we go support our fellow Rockets. We also got the privilege to see the dance team perform - this was exciting and a lot of fun! Overall, the pep rally was a success and enjoyed by the Assumption community.
-Alex M.

12:30 Dismissals

At Assumption, one of my favorite things is the 12:30 dismissal days that occur on Tuesdays about once a month. They are great because they offer so many opportunities to do other things. You can catch up on homework, hang out with friends, or get some extra sleep. :) This past 12:30 day, I walked down to Buckhead's with some friends and it was awesome having such a relaxing afternoon. Plus, I still had time afterwards to get all of my homework done and have time to watch my Tuesday night shows. 12:30 days add a much needed break to a hectic school week!
-Anne D.

SleepWalk 2010

The 2010 Walk theme was SleepWalk. Girls dressed up in their footy pajamas and hair curlers and they prepared to get their walk on! The Walk was a blast - all the girls were dressed up and so were the teachers. It was fun to just see everyone's spirit. We raised a record-setting amount of more than $57,000 - we did an amazing job and so did our top seller. She raised $1,000 dollars - how wonderful! We came together as a community and helped so many girls. Assumption did a great job this year and the theme was fun, too!
-Alex M.

Green Dot Initiative

On Tuesday, September 28th, the whole school gathered in the gym to listen to a guest speaker from the Center for Women and Families, Amanda Houpt. Students were extremely interested and intrigued as they learned about a new program called Green Dot. The Mary Byron Project introduced the speaker and sponsors the program because they believe it is time for more students to get involved in putting an end to power-based personal violence. The Green Dot Program gives students a chance to do additional training at Assumption with Amanda and learn how to be a bystander that knows how to react in situations where violence is occuring. Students seemed eager to learn more after attending the assembly. The Mary Byron Project closed the assembly by introducing an event they are working on called Walk A Mile in Her Shoes in which they are partnering with St. X and Trinity to have high school boys walking in high heels to advocate against teen dating violence. Together, these two programs provide the education and opportunity to make Assumption a leading school in violence prevention and awareness.
~Jaclyn O.

Family Foundations Week

The competition to see who had the most Family pride and fever was conducted the week of September 21-25. The week began with students decorating their Family suites, or the group of rooms that Family "lives" in. Several students from each grade make up a single Family. There are nine Families at Assumption, representing nine foundations Catherine McAuley founded in Ireland. On Thursday, September 23rd, students sported accessories in their Family color accompanying their uniform. The spirit was prevelant as everyone prepared for Family festivities the next day.

On Friday, September 24th, Mercy Day, students enjoyed spending time with students in their Families and participating in various activities as they celebrated and honored Catherine McAuley's work. The day began with a Mercy Day prayer service in which sophomore Kelsey Kaiser, junior Mary-Kate Smith, and senior Catherine Palmer-Ball, as well as faculty and staff, were honored as Models of Mercy for their outstanding exemplification of our Mercy values. After the prayer service, students returned to homerooms to write letters to Mercy sister schools across the country. My particular family, Kingstown, wrote a letter to a Mercy school in Virginia in which we all signed our names on the Smart Board.

Saving the best for last, the week wrapped up with an all-school Family competition in the gym by putting a twist on the series "The Bachelor." Representative teachers and students from each family competed in a relay race consisting of putting on dresses in their family color, ribbons in their hair, and waltzing with a teacher across the gym floor. Amy Vanover, Logan Higgins, and Tylisha Mitchell were the three finalists who had to explain to Catherine McAuley how their foundation spread her mission. Amy Vanover ended up winning the competition for her Family, of course with her Family supporting her and cheering for her the whole time. She even received a rose from one of our teachers and got her picture taken. It was a great week for students to come together as a community and prove why their family was the one to beat.

-Jaclyn O.