Category: Student Achievement

“Faith in action is love and love in action is service.” These words spoken by Saint Teresa of Calcutta are the cornerstone of everything that we do as part of the Community Service Corps at O’Hara. This year, a pandemic wasn’t going to stand in our way of doing what our hundreds of student members love to do: serve our community.

This past February a team of 50 students made Valentine’s Cards for the women of Divine Providence Village. We stayed after school making intricate designs with brightly colored paper, stickers, and, of course, love! We had so much fun coming together as a group to make these Valentine’s gifts for the people that we care about at DPV. As we drove on campus to leave the cards on the porch outside the Administrative Offices, the memories of all of the good times that my classmates and I have had all these years with the members of Divine Providence and Don Guanella came flooding back: softball games in the gym, St. Patrick’s Day parties, Masses together, Thanksgiving dinner, and so much more. These moments are some of the best memories that my fellow seniors and I have had during our O’Hara days. Spreading love and joy to everyone there and feeling their love and happiness was a feeling like no other.

This week, as Easter quickly approaches, we continued a wonderful tradition started by Mr. Charlie Wieners. A small group of CSC members assembled Easter baskets for City Team Ministries in Chester. Our A Day cohort met after school and we formed a mini assembly line to make 50 baskets. And our friends in the B Day cohort will match that and make 50 more! The generosity of our O’Hara community with donations of candy and Easter grass was overwhelming and a testament to the focus that our students have on service to others.

The Community Service Corps has been such an integral part of my life these last four years. Some of my best friends were made in this group—during early morning Ronald McDonald House breakfast preparations, at Wednesday evening softball games in our gym with the residents of Don Guanella, at the most festive Christmas party you will ever witness with the Spanish Apostolate, during preparations for our massive Thanksgiving dinner food drive, and as we spent time in “CSC homeroom” planning hundreds of events as our team focused on making a difference.

Saint Teresa sums up my four-year CSC experience, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Thank you, Cardinal O’Hara CSC, for allowing us to do many small, wonderful things with great love.

Written By: Katie Tuberosa ‘21

I have been involved in the O’Hara Theatre Program since my freshman year four years ago. It is where I have met most of my best friends, have spent countless hours of my time, and have made the absolute best memories. 

When the pandemic hit in March of last year, I was absolutely devastated. We were a week away from opening Godspell, and had worked so incredibly hard to make it the best show possible. Like most people this past year, I was overwhelmed with many emotions. I was angry, sad, and most of all frightened about the unknown. We didn’t know when or if we would ever be able to perform that show. Sadly, we never got to, and I still feel terribly for the seniors who did not get to perform their last show.

When it was announced last fall that we would be doing The Music Man, I frankly didn’t know how to feel. How could we possibly pull off doing a show in the middle of a global pandemic? Where would we do it? How would we hold rehearsals? Mr. Brac and Mrs. Mooney assured us that the show would not be the exact same as years past, but that they would do their very best to make it feel as normal as possible while following all safety precautions.

After auditions, I was given the absolute honor to play the role of Marian Paroo. Like Marian, I am not someone always open to change. I think it is something that a lot of us struggle with. We want things to “be like last year” and keep traditions that have been in place for so long. However, if I have learned one thing from this past year, it is that change can be good. Yes, there can be downsides, but sometimes it is for the better. In the show, Marian transforms from a stuck-up librarian to an appreciative young woman who is able to see the good in others. This show changed my perspective on this year. Instead of focusing on what I have lost and what “isn’t the same,” I am now looking forward to new opportunities being created and focusing on what I do have.

On opening night, I was so overwhelmed with love and nostalgia and just plain happiness. Hearing the sounds of an audience clapping and laughing is something that I did not know I could miss so much. Performing under the bright lights while hearing the orchestra playing, and being backstage alongside the people that I love most was probably the highlight of my senior year so far. It was so good to be back and it was the perfect way to end my time in the theatre program.

The Music Man was the first thing that has felt normal to me in this unprecedented year. I was able to spend time with my best friends and laugh and joke around at rehearsals. We were able to wear the most amazing costumes while telling such an incredible story. Most of all, we were able to do what show kids do best: dance, act, and sing our hearts out on that beautiful stage. 

And we did all of that safely and with masks on! It was truly amazing what we were able to accomplish despite the many obstacles we endured. I think this show was something that we all needed. It was a reassurance and a glimmer of hope for the future. We showed our O’Hara family, our community, and honestly, the world, that life is going to be okay, and we can still find joy in doing what we love. 

I cannot express enough gratitude for Mr. Brac and Mrs. Mooney for what they have done for us this year. They put their hearts and souls into this production. Even when it looked like the show may not happen, I had the utmost confidence that no matter what, it would happen in some way, shape, or form solely because of their dedication. I thank them for giving us all this incredible experience, and for defying the negativity that has been so prevalent this past year. My past four years in this program have been so special and memorable, and theatre is something I plan to continue in college because of the love for the arts that O’Hara has given me.

Written by: Maureen O’Reilly ’21

Covid tried to take away the season, but the O’Hara Swim Team wouldn’t let that happen. We rallied and came back stronger than ever! It all started when our amazing coach, Cherie Walters, secured a pool for practices. For two months beginning in January, the team and I swam outside at night in below freezing temperatures. The pool was heated (thank goodness) and when you entered the pool parking lot, you could see the steam rising from the water. Once we got in and started to swim, it warmed up. Getting out of the water was a different story…it was beyond cold and, some nights, icy along the pool deck.

Despite having practices, meets were in question for almost the entire season. We had many meets canceled because of snow. There was limited pool availability to host meets because of covid guidelines. Virtual meets, when we were lucky to compete, did not have the same excitement and energy as a normal meet would have. All through this, Coach Cherie pushed us to work hard in practice and reminded us that a “strange” season was better than no season at all. With everything going on around us, the team became even closer than we were before. We were extremely lucky to have the opportunity to swim and do what we love! 

Leading up to Districts and PCLs was nerve racking. Districts felt electric. You could tell that every swimmer was excited to be racing other teams in person. The team did amazing! We were making best times in every event and many of our swimmers were on the podium! The girls’ team placed third overall and the boys’ team placed sixth overall in the district! 

The success at Districts led to an even more successful PCL weekend. Going into PCLs, Cherie gave us one goal: to leave everything in the pool no matter what. She told us that regardless of PCL results, we had already won because of all of our hard work and dedication. We were not just swimming for ourselves, but we were swimming for Cherie because she gave us all the hope and confidence we needed. She never gave up on us even when we wanted to give up on ourselves. At PCLs, everyone had fantastic swims! The team was radiating so much energy and positivity that the global pandemic was an afterthought. When all was said and done, the team earned fifteen All-Catholic honors, the boys finished sixth in the PCL and the girls took home the title…2020-2021 PCL Champs! We look forward to hitting the water again next year and working towards another title!

Written By: Katie O’Hanlon ’22

O’Hara Family Christmas Essay

O’Hara Family Christmas is one of my favorite Christmas activities that we have. It is a schoolwide tradition that resonates with students, faculty, and alumni every year. From a beautiful Mass to fun events afterward, O’Hara Family Christmas is a fun time for everyone. O’Hara Family Christmas includes many beautiful songs such as “On That Holy Mountain” and “Christmas Lullaby.” The stage brings joy to the event with decorations like poinsettias and Christmas lights. Singing these songs and looking at the decorations reminds me of the wonderful experiences I have here. It reminds me of how grateful I am for the people, events, and memories I have. It is not only a symbol of togetherness but a time of blessings for the Christmas season and the New Year. 

 Many of our annual events had to get postponed. O’Hara Family Christmas attracts a substantially large audience every year. However, social distancing during these times is crucial, causing us to change a few aspects of our Christmas Tradition. This year, we held a prayer service instead of a full Mass and activities. It was still a beautiful service to attend, and as a choir member, an inspirational event to sing in. The virtual tree lighting, the Prayer Service and the carolling afterwards was spectacular. This event represented how the O’Hara family comes together to bring light to the community in a joyous way. All in all, O’Hara Family Christmas in past years, this year, and in the years to come, is a beautiful tradition that everyone should see and experience.

Written By: Kaia Grant

Starting high school at Cardinal O’Hara as a freshman was an overwhelming but very exciting experience. I remember thinking about what high school would look like back in early March. I was excited to make new friends, go to different sports games and get involved in lots of activities. Little did I know what I envisioned would be completely different. 

When I first heard the term “hybrid”  I really didn’t understand what that meant. I soon learned that it meant that  I would only come in every other day. Specifically, there are two groups, A and B. Groups are in school every other day, and if you aren’t in school, you are virtual that day. As a virtual student, I login to all my classes over zoom. When on a zoom call, my teacher’s MacBook will act as a camera in class. This system is great and makes me feel like I am right there as a student. It didn’t make transitioning into high school any more difficult than it had to be, and the school has invested in HD cameras for each classroom so that transition will only become easier. Social distancing, desk wiping, and hand sanitizing are abundant throughout O’Hara. All of our desks are spaced out 6 feet and only two students are allowed at each lunch table.  As for making friends, I feel that this is not that difficult because we are in school half of the days and still have opportunities to socialize and get to know each other.  I feel that these regulations have struck a balance of keeping us safe and keeping our learning and social lives on track. In short, hybrid learning at O’Hara has been beyond my expectations.

Written By:
Paul Giacomucci ’24