Daily Archives: February 4, 2016

The Simple Things

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(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Thursday morning, 4 February 2016—Catholic Schools Week)

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of a loving God

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This past semester I was sent out on service every Wednesday to a Senior Center. I was
dreading going. My grandfather had just passed away and the last thing I wanted to do was be
surrounded by people that were near the end of their life. The day I met Lorraine was the day
my entire perception had changed. If there was anything I had learned from my grandfather’s
passing it was that all he wanted was someone to talk to. He just wanted to ask me about my
day or how school was going. All the women at the senior center wanted the exact same thing.
This time, I was willing to listen. Lorraine was the first one to approach me at the center. For the
first 3 weeks every story was the same that concluded with “oh and by the way I have had 3
strokes so it is hard for me to remember things.” After the third week she finally started to
remember me. She greeted me with a smile and a warm hug. I looked forward to hearing about
her stories every Wednesday. She always made me feel welcome. The one thing that stuck with
me and hasn’t left me since was the conversation we had almost everyday. Lorraine would ask
“How are you” I would respond and reciprocate with the same question back to her. Her
response was always the same. “Well, I woke up this morning, so it must be a pretty good day.”
If there was one thing I took from my experience at service it would be that sometimes I need to
take a step back and be grateful for the little things in life. Lorraine helped me realize this. This
Catholic Schools Week I think all of us as a community should reflect on the simple things in life.
Recall your blessings and be thankful.

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Let Us Pray,
Dear God, help us all to be thankful for the little things in life that you have blessed us with.
Watch over us and guide us towards a path of spending more time with the people who need us
most.
Allow us to make the most of the time we have with our loved ones and anyone whom we meet
each day.
Amen.

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Saint John Baptist de La Salle…Pray for Us
Live Jesus in Our Hearts… Forever

Tayla Pingitore–Class of 2016

The Road Taken

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(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Tuesday morning, 2 February 2016—Catholic Schools Week)

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God.

I would like to begin by not only thanking La Salle Academy for inviting me to participate in Catholic Schools Week, but by thanking the students, teachers, staff, and families that have supported Harry Kizirian Elementary School in Providence. You have most certainly touched the lives of students that are in need of positive role models and acts of kindness.

Twenty-five years have passed since I graduated La Salle Academy, but I will never forget all that I learned and all that I experienced in such a small window of time. My freshman year was actually spent at Classical High School. It was my first year in a public school and for the first time in my life, I felt like I didn’t belong. I was just one student among another thousand students. My guidance counselor didn’t know me and neither did my principal. I connected with the wrong friends, skipped classes, and would sometimes find myself leaving school early to hang out in the city. I was lost in the crowd. Public school was not for me.

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I entered La Salle at the start of second semester during my sophomore year. While I knew enough to plead with my family to send me here, I still didn’t know exactly how to get back on track. It was Mr. Leo Butler, my dean, who knew I needed guidance and support. He believed in me, even when I didn’t. He held me accountable, when I was being irresponsible. He not only supported me, but he supported my family when they just didn’t understand me. Mr. Butler continued to push me, even when I pushed back. I remember when I was first hired as a teacher in Providence. I made it a point to come back and visit Mr. Butler. It was important for me to show him that I turned out just fine. That I did make it through college, and that of all of the professions, I chose the teaching profession. Who would have thought that one day I would be working with inner city high school students just like I was!

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I don’t know what road I would have taken if I never had the opportunity to attend La Salle, but I do know that I am grateful that I will never have to find out. La Salle Academy is a community of faith, a community of knowledge, and a community of service. It has been all of these things for generations.

St. John Baptist de La Salle….Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts… Forever.

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Dina Cerra–Class of 1991