As school begins for all students and this year’s seniors near the end of their high school career, two groups of them have been working towards making this year the best one yet. Senior advisors and peer ministers who were chosen in the past school year trained the week before school started to prepare for a year of fun.

The seniors chosen to do either senior advisory or peer ministry all have some personal connection that drew them to the program they applied for. They were willing to put in the hard work and dedicate their time to a lengthy application process to earn a spot in their respective programs.

“I chose to be a peer minister because I want to lead the younger students in a positive direction during the rough patches that inevitably occur during high school,” said senior Caroline Staebell.

As the peer ministers prepare for the upcoming Kairos in September, senior advisors have already formed bonds with the freshmen in their advisories. They were there to help them through Freshmen Orientation and a couple times during the first week of school.

“In our advisory, we determined that playing games really gets the freshmen excited and talking, so we intend to keep that going throughout the year,” said senior Ryan Claus.

Not only are these programs meant to benefit all students, but they also contribute to bettering the seniors involved. For peer ministers, they are living out Christ’s message of love and preaching his word by making Sacraments and religious opportunities available to the students. As a senior advisor, there is a bond that is formed with their freshmen that continues on past their first year.

“I expect to become a better leader who can communicate with everyone. I want to be someone who can earn respect rather than demanding it, which is especially important when it comes to freshmen,” said senior Joshna Susai.

With any program, there are always a few bumps in the road before it gets better. For senior advisors, there is always the struggle of ensuring that they will connect with their freshmen.

“They are all different people with different interests and that can be a challenge. But, with thought and planning, I have connected with each of them and we all have a great relationship thus far,” said senior Carlie Wyant.

On the peer minister side of things, they have the important job of planning all the masses, religious celebrations and retreats that go on year round here at St. Dominic. Not only is there a lot of time management needed, but also a bit of creativity to keep everyone interested and open-minded.

“I am getting ready in the near future and it is a struggle to make speeches and other activities for these retreats,” said senior Gavin Young.

However, the struggles definitely pale in comparison to how excited these seniors are to make their final year the best yet. As the realization hits that they will soon be off to college and away from their home here at St. Dominic, they realize how important it is to leave a lasting impact here while they can.

“I want them to want to be leaders and improve and change our school in the future. I can only help them by pointing in the right direction, so I hope that I can lead and inspire them enough where they can put the other foot in and go all the way,” said senior Kateri Koch.

These 54 seniors are more than ready to make the 2018-19 school year as memorable for their peers as they can. With their graduation in mind, they realize that these are the moments they need to slow down and appreciate all that they have been blessed with. Be sure to keep that in mind as you see any of the seniors during the school year. You really don’t realize how much you’ll miss them until they’re gone.