This past Tuesday, Caritas secured the House Cup and ended off the 2022 school year with a score of 184. Although Caritas was already in the lead, Dignitas and Gaudium posed a threat, with both teams only a few points behind. After a year of tough competitions and events, it’s safe to say that Caritas’ hard work paid off.

The victory would not have been possible without the incredible leadership from the House’s senior leaders, Gracie Edwards and Matthew Willenbrink. Their teamwork and dedication inspired their House to put in the work and ultimately, paved the way to victory.

“Going into the assembly, I knew we were in a good spot to win it, but I also knew it was far from over. Gaudium and Dignitas both put up great fights in the assembly, and the year that both of them had was remarkable. I had the mentality of keeping a steady morale for the whole assembly, and it turned out pretty well,” Willenbrink said.

Caritas may have had the lead advantage at the start of the assembly, but that didn’t mean they were in the clear. The various competitions called for unique skills and strategies that kept Edwards and Willenbrink on their toes. The first events consisted of a “human hungry hippos” and a trivia game involving just a few from each grade. Finally, it came time for the highly-anticipated cheer competition.

“For the assembly competitions, I just tried to build suspense and get everyone excited, whether they were playing on the House teams or not. I wanted us to have good energy going into the competitions,” Edwards said.

After everything they’ve done for the Caritas, Edwards and Willenbrink both share an amazing satisfaction with how they’ve spent their energy. Both in and out of school, they have planned and scheduled everything perfectly so that Caritas could enjoy their year.

“Winning the House Cup was an awesome feat. The satisfaction of knowing that all of the hard work that not only Gracie and I put in this year, but every individual member of Caritas who helped us win the Cup paid off, is a great feeling. However, the goal of being an HOH is not to win the cup. It is to promote House and school spirit, creating a friendly environment that every member of the school belongs to, and I feel like all of the HOH’s succeeded in accomplishing that this year. Caritas is not the only House who won this year. In my mind, we were all equally successful, we just happened to take home the Cup,” Willenbrink said.

Though being in charge of an entire House may have been stressful at times, these two seniors worked diligently to ensure this was a fun year for all of the students. Despite all the work it required, these two leaders wouldn’t have traded their positions for the world. Both of them have gained so much in the past year, including new friends, more confidence and a better appreciation for leadership.

“I have gained so much from being an HOH that I couldn’t put it into a short answer. Just some of the many things I’ve gained are such an immense appreciation for the House system and what it represents to Saint Dominic. I gained some skills and insight on how to get people excited for a cause. I also gained a little bit of confidence in my own abilities through leading others throughout the year,” Edwards said.

We’d like to congratulate every member of House Caritas for all their efforts this year. Caritas will get to celebrate their hard-earned victory with a field day. Although the House competitions for this school year are over, we cannot wait to see what the St. Dominic community for next year!