GETTING READY FOR CHRISTOPHER CHRISTMAS!
If you want to tap into the spirit of the season, look no further than one lovely tradition at Saint Ignatius College Prep that makes its full return this year following the COVID pandemic.
It's called Christopher Christmas, and it began in the year 2000 when an alumna offered up an idea she thought would make for the perfect service opportunity. At the time, her mom was a teacher at Walter S. Christopher Elementary School near Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood.
The school's mission has heart. Teachers and staff there educate children who live with disabilities, right alongside their general education peers. The model means the school, which serves students from kindergarten to the eighth grade, tackles unique challenges - all while it navigates every day socio-economic issues.
So the goal more than 20 years ago was for the Saint Ignatius community to partner with Christopher School, offering time and light, in the most positive way. Assistant Prefect of Mission Elizabeth Cummings Carney '01, remembers the launch of Christopher Christmas. At the time, she was a senior.
"The opportunity to find God in others was there, and I think my Ignatius experience, even at a young age, helped give me the eyes to see that. Sometimes it's just about being with people," said Cummings Carney, "A whole other layer of the power of the experience is seeing the people who serve the Christopher School's families every day, and recognizing what true calling is."
She talked about the up-close look our students, faculty and staff got when they would visit Christopher Elementary School, bringing holiday cheer with them. Sadly, COVID put that part of the annual event on hold, but, said Cummings Carney, "We're really excited to get back this year."
The preparation is underway! As part of the tradition, Saint Ignatius College Prep invites every student at Christopher Elementary School to submit Christmas wishes. Then the Wolfpack gets to work granting the more than 300 wishes. That means members of the high school community sponsor Christopher students, buying gifts, wrapping them, and delivering them. A group of about 60 Saint Ignatius students and 10 adult volunteers will make the early-December trip which will include Pep Band performances, planned classroom activities, and a visit from Santa.
"I hope our students experience the power of presence - that sitting with, and intentionally sitting alongside someone - is a meaningful expression of love. That's what the season is all about," said Cummings Carney, "It promises to offer a moment of profound perspective when so many people are caught up in final exams and college pursuits."
If you want to be part of Christopher Christmas, all you have to do is pick up a wish at the Link during lunch periods. The wishes are going fast - there were about 80 opportunities to claim as of this morning!
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The school's mission has heart. Teachers and staff there educate children who live with disabilities, right alongside their general education peers. The model means the school, which serves students from kindergarten to the eighth grade, tackles unique challenges - all while it navigates every day socio-economic issues.
So the goal more than 20 years ago was for the Saint Ignatius community to partner with Christopher School, offering time and light, in the most positive way. Assistant Prefect of Mission Elizabeth Cummings Carney '01, remembers the launch of Christopher Christmas. At the time, she was a senior.
"The opportunity to find God in others was there, and I think my Ignatius experience, even at a young age, helped give me the eyes to see that. Sometimes it's just about being with people," said Cummings Carney, "A whole other layer of the power of the experience is seeing the people who serve the Christopher School's families every day, and recognizing what true calling is."
She talked about the up-close look our students, faculty and staff got when they would visit Christopher Elementary School, bringing holiday cheer with them. Sadly, COVID put that part of the annual event on hold, but, said Cummings Carney, "We're really excited to get back this year."
The preparation is underway! As part of the tradition, Saint Ignatius College Prep invites every student at Christopher Elementary School to submit Christmas wishes. Then the Wolfpack gets to work granting the more than 300 wishes. That means members of the high school community sponsor Christopher students, buying gifts, wrapping them, and delivering them. A group of about 60 Saint Ignatius students and 10 adult volunteers will make the early-December trip which will include Pep Band performances, planned classroom activities, and a visit from Santa.
"I hope our students experience the power of presence - that sitting with, and intentionally sitting alongside someone - is a meaningful expression of love. That's what the season is all about," said Cummings Carney, "It promises to offer a moment of profound perspective when so many people are caught up in final exams and college pursuits."
If you want to be part of Christopher Christmas, all you have to do is pick up a wish at the Link during lunch periods. The wishes are going fast - there were about 80 opportunities to claim as of this morning!
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Saint Ignatius College Prep, a Jesuit Catholic school in the heart of Chicago, is a diverse community dedicated to educating young men and women for lives of faith, love, service and leadership.
