Alverno’s Class of 2016 Arrives!
Tuesday, August 21 was the first day of school at Alverno High School and the start of a new journey for Alverno’s Class of 2016. The new freshmen come from 31 different elementary and middle schools, 21 different cities—including Hong Kong and Peng Lai City, China.
While many of the freshmen got to know one another during the Alverno Summer Institute, Monday, August 20 was the first time that the class was together as a whole. On Monday, they arrived on campus for Freshmen Orientation, ready to learn about one another and what to expect from their years at Alverno.
After playing several icebreakers to get to know one another better, the Alverno Student Union set the freshmen loose on a scavenger hunt, which required them to find different locations on campus using cryptic clues. This not only helped the freshmen become familiar with Alverno’s 13-acre campus, but also helped acquaint students with the Alverno staff. At the end of the icebreaker, they sat down to complete a survey about themselves that will be placed into the Class of 2016 Time Capsule. Every year, new freshmen at Alverno create a time capsule that will be given back to them at their Senior Retreat. The capsules are meant to symbolize the great growth the girls will go through as individuals and as a class during their time at Alverno.
Orientation concluded with a family prayer service led by Alverno’s Campus Ministry class. The current students read different blessings over the freshmen class and provided a strand of yarn to every parent in the audience. The strings provided to the parents were meant to symbolize the unity between all of them as their daughters began this exciting new journey in their lives. Their daughters had received a yarn bracelet earlier in the day to symbolize their unity as a class and their commitment to one another. The prayer service was a perfect ending to a fun-filled day and a wonderful way to prepare everyone for the excitement of the first day of school.
The next morning, the freshmen were officially Alverno’s newest students and when the bell rang at 7:55 a.m. they were off to their first class. For many of them, this was the first time they moved from class to class and stored books in lockers but did great with the support from many of the older students.
On Wednesday, after much anticipation, the freshmen were finally able to meet their big sisters. Every freshmen is assigned to a senior who acts as a friend, guide, and support system during their first year of high school. Big and little sisters grow extremely close over the course of the year and there are often lots of tears when it comes time for the big sisters to leave Alverno—they are truly bonds made for life.
“Alverno High School is so thrilled to welcome another group of incredible young women to campus,” said Ann Gillick, Head of School. “As freshmen they are still young but they have already accomplished so much that we can be proud of and already are the epitome of Alverno girls. I am grateful that we will get to see them grow and thrive over the next four years as Alverno empowers each of them to be exactly the person she wants to be.”
About Alverno High School
Alverno High School is a Catholic, private, college preparatory school for young women dedicated to preparing them to function in a society as informed, knowledgeable persons, who have the requisite skills to make and implement mature decisions about complex problems. Enlivened by the spirit of its Immaculate Heart Community sponsors, and mindful of the Franciscan roots of its founders, Alverno’s program—academic, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and physical—is shaped by the staff, trustees, and students in light of the world for which the students are being educated. Alverno’s mission is to empower each young woman to be exactly the person she wants to be and since 1960, Alverno has empowered more than 4,100 women to meet that goal. For more information about Alverno High School, please call (626) 355-3463 or visit www.alverno-hs.org.
