Thoughts from our Head of School, Joseph Vorbach:
Over the Christmas break, I had a chance to watch our wrestling team in a tournament at Paul VI. The student-athletes on the wrestling team practice intensely for match opportunities that are nothing if not intense. These wrestlers combine agility, strength, judgment, endurance, and technical skill as they take on equally motivated competitors from the other teams. The wrestlers are too numerous to mention by name, but I was impressed by the heart and effort they all showed, as well as by their sense of camaraderie.
Also over the holiday, the captain of our cheerleading team, Frankie Love, participated in the London New Year's Day Parade. On any given afternoon or evening at our school, you can find the cheer and dance teams practicing diligently to perfect new choreography and stunts. Their commitment to their craft and one another is always noteworthy.
This morning at Mass, members of the O'Connell Singers sang so beautifully -- a solo of "O Holy Night" by Besa Bucaj and an equally lovely rendering of "Silent Night" by Ava Coffin, Rosie Coolidge, and Elise Walsh. Our singers and musicians dedicate countless hours of individual and group effort to bring heart and soul to their music.
The beginning of a New Year is a good time to look forward with a sense of optimism. Talented, hard-working and kind young people are an amazing source of both optimistic energy and a sense of the possible. We find these students all over the school and we are blessed to have the opportunity to play some role in helping them pursue their dreams. We have this opportunity because of the ongoing support of the wider Bishop O'Connell community, assistance that helps enrich the spiritual, academic, social and physical growth of our students.
A fun and community-building opportunity to provide that support is our upcoming annual gala at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner on Saturday, Feb. 4. If your schedules permit, I encourage you to join us for an evening that is both a great celebration of our school's rich history and an exciting look into the future that will be our next 60 years and beyond.