Senior Leadership Night a Rousing Success

Seniors set the tone. That was the message Jill Hickey, senior class president, wanted to get across Wednesday when Joliet Catholic Academy hosted its Senior Leadership Night.

Hickey, an Oswego native, was joined by vice president Nolan Hucek (Joliet), secretary Alaina Ragusa (Joliet) and treasurer Julia Malinowski (Shorewood) as Student Council members trying to spread the word of what JCA’s Class of 2012 will represent during this school year.

Friendship. Family. And togetherness.

“If you look at our class officers, we’re pretty tight friends,” Hickey said. “It helps that we’re all really close, but we also have very different opinions and we’re not afraid to share them.”

Senior Leadership Night is designed to share ideas. A cookout was provided by JCA’s Senior Parent Organization, a prayer service was given by Fr. Jeff Smialek and Sr. Barbara Kwiatkowski, the school’s campus ministers, and Hickey gave a speech that addressed the seniors’ goals.

“We want our class to be more involved and get the point across that we’re here to look out for the freshmen instead of treating them like they are at the bottom of the food chain,” Hickey said. “We want to get everyone here to realize they are a part of one big family.”

As part of that extended family, faculty members Tina Kinsella and Debra Witmer sponsored the event. Kinsella is JCA’s Student Council moderator and Witmer is the Senior Class Moderator.

“We think it’s really important to have this night because they have been together for three years and now they are the leaders of the school,” Witmer said. “It helps them bond and helps them set the tone for what they want to do as a senior class for their final year.”

“It’s a good activity to get them in the mindset of coming back to school,” Kinsella said. “It’s a chance for them to meet with their classmates — to meet old friends, yet make new ones as well.  And the purpose of the night is for them to come together and know they are the leaders now.”

A highlight of the event is the senior T-shirt distribution. On the front, the slogan reads “Seniors 2012.” On the back, “The world’s not ending — we’re just taking it over.” Kinsella and Witmer hope the seniors take those words to heart.

“I know this is what Jill, Nolan, Alaina and Julia have been talking about,” Witmer said. “What do they want their legacy to be and how do they want to be remembered? I know they have a bunch of different things they want to get accomplished here before they graduate.”

“I think Student Council is one of the most important organizations in our school,” Kinsella pointed out. “I hear stories of past alums, of all the cool things they have done here, and we hope these leaders can develop their own ideas and traditions that will be just as lasting.”

Everlasting memories like being a part of the Hillzone, the school’s student cheering section, were on the agenda as well as information on a possible senior trip to Disney World.

But even more than that, Hickey wanted to emphasize the camaraderie the senior class hopes to foster. Hickey, Hucek and Ragusa are volleyball players and Malinowski is a cheerleader.

“We all have different interests and activities, but we all have input,” Hickey said. “And from that input, the Student Council looks to make the best decisions. I know how it’s my last year in high school, I’m the last of three sisters, and I want my senior year to be the very best.”