Check out the next installment in our "Inn Their Own Words" series! Read how one of our graduating 8th graders now sees himself and his path, all thanks to our Sophia Program:
"My name is Mike, and I am a student of the Sophia Program at Holy Cross School. I am a recipient of the Spiritan and Maguire Scholarships at Holy Ghost Preparatory School.
I became a Sophia student in my 7th grade year at Holy Cross. I knew of Inn Dwelling since 3rd grade. I came to Sophia after my mother and Sister Rosemarie conversed. At first, I did not like the idea of transferring to Holy Cross. I can still remember complaining to my mom about why she did this to me and her answer was: "To give you a better education." So, I took the Sophia entrance test. It was about 2 hours long; throughout the test, my proctor Mr. Arroyave and I talked about the program. Unusual, right? That’s when I realized I needed to be here.
I have never been to a school like Holy Cross before, where academics are truly the number one priority. I never had such discipline in my life. The teachers made a lasting impact on my character. My 7th grade year was the year of preparation for high school. Every Friday we would labor over High School Placement Tests. In addition, we even took public transportation to Germantown on Wednesdays to receive tutoring in literature.
As Aristotle once said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” If it were not for Sophia, I would have never heard of Holy Ghost Prep, the school to which I and two of my colleagues are attending in the fall. With the amazing Sophia staff, students are getting into high schools like Holy Ghost, La Salle College High School, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, Merion Mercy Academy, St. Basils Academy, Valley Forge Military Academy, and Science Leadership Academy because of their high marks.
All are successes through Sister and our teachers. Without them and this Program, most of us would be in a classroom somewhere being mediocre and not living up to our fullest potential. But today, because of Sophia, we are excelling and reaching new heights that we could not achieve on our own.
Thank you to Sister Rosemarie, teachers, and the Sophia Program. You have taught me the meaning of the word 'sophia:' wisdom. I am taken not just with the word but with its possible impact. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "The function of education is to teach one intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of education.” That’s what Sophia has done for me."
This article is an excerpt from a speech given by Mike G. at our 2018 Honors Ceremony, celebrating all of our soon-to-be graduates and current/new participants. Mike is a 2018 graduate of our middle school Sophia Program; he will matriculate into our high school programming come fall and attend Holy Ghost Preparatory School on a full scholarship.
