St. Lawrence Seminary Blog

Fall On the Hill

Written by Katie Daane | Nov 6, 2018 4:00:00 PM

 

 
Fall in Wisconsin is a beautiful time: the hardwoods change to myriad colors, the sunsets and sunrises take on brilliant streaks of orange and pink, and the crisp mornings create a sparkling frost that reflects the early sun’s rays. But fall on the Hill of Happiness is a beautiful time not just because of the natural beauty that surrounds it - it is a season filled with beautiful transitions.

When students arrive on the Hill in late summer, they are nervous but looking forward to what the year holds. Though as fall settles in to the Hill, so, too, do the students. They have learned the routines of the schedule. They have developed homework habits. They have formed social groups. They have made some new friends and reconnected with their old ones. And all of that happens within the space of a few short weeks.

 

 

How did all of that transitioning take place? It wasn’t always easy, and it certainly wasn’t instantaneous. It came through a multitude of ways. It was created by administrators who helped structure the days, both academic times and those outside of it. It was ushered in by caring staff members who led fraternities and attempted to create bonds between students and classmates. It was organized by faculty who were intentional in their lessons and teaching strong study habits. It was urged by dorm supervisors who intentionally created safe environments for students to express themselves and to meet others like them. It was garnered by students who were willing to reach out to others and offer up their previous experiences as models to learn from.

How did each of those administrators, teachers, staff members, and students know how to do those things? Well, that all comes back to St. Lawrence’s mission statement. The mission and values are lived out and on display—through experience and modeling—in all things at SLS. And it was through this experience and modeling that the new students, the new staff, and the new teachers came to understand what SLS stands for and represents as a community. Fall on the Hill is a beautiful time for so many reasons.

St. Lawrence Seminary is an all boys Catholic boarding school located in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. We welcome students from Minnesota, Illinois and across the United States. Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the example of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Lawrence Seminary provides a residential college preparatory education in a living Catholic community nurturing mature, well-rounded men of faith. See if St. Lawrence is right for you and your son.