Senior Leadership Day

On September 2, the Class of 2010 traveled to the Saint Paul Seminary for the first ever senior leadership conference. Fr. Tom O’Brien was a main proponent of this day, and he had the following to say, “Dr. Mich and I chose the Saint Paul Seminary--especially its chapel--as the site for our first-ever Senior Leadership Day because it is connected to the founding of our school almost 125 years ago on that very site, and because from that moment to this very day, Archbishop Ireland's vision for the shaping of leaders (in the Church, the local community, the nation, and the world) has been realized in the lives of thousands of young people.”

The Cadets were fortunate to have two outstanding guest speakers, Vince Flynn ’84 and Chris Morrissey ’02, speak about their experiences as leaders. Following these addresses, the seniors broke off into small groups and discussed how to best lead the student body during their final year. They formulated ideas to enhance the overall quality of life at the Academy, such as improvements to formation and the preservation of school traditions. They also wrote individual goals that they will be reviewing throughout the year. Said senior E. Badar, “Today really put into perspective the major role we seniors
have in the school. I’m looking forward to a great year.”

The day was capped off when each senior signed his full name on a page that will be bound in a book to be kept for future generations of Academy cadets. In signing his name formally, each cadet pledged himself to serving as a leader. In addition, the John Ireland Senior Leadership Ribbon was created and given out to all seniors especially for this occasion.

~ S-5 Public Affairs Officer J. Clancy '10