As we finish wrapping our presents, checking our lists, baking, cooking, planning, shopping, and stressing, it is so very important to pause, slow down, and breathe in the moment.  Moments fly by so fast and seem to go by even faster lately.  Throughout the pandemic, I have been reminded of how precious time is. Time is a gift from God. Loved ones are gifts from God.  As we approach Christmas, we will celebrate the Holy Family as a unit with the birth of Christ. Christ manifests himself within the domestic Church, the family unit. Time with our families is sacred, and it is important to make the most of the time we have with them.  Here are some ways we can accomplish this:

Foster a positive atmosphere

Make kindness and forgiveness a policy during family gatherings so we can make the time with loved ones an enjoyable experience rather than a chore. Kindness and sincerity help us to be more authentic versions of ourselves that we can share with others especially our family.

Invite the Lord

Praying as a family before sharing a meal invites God to be an active part of your family time to remember who we are and whose we are. A family unit is also called the domestic Church.  It is in the family that God can be made manifest to bring joy, peace, and love into the world.

Create new family traditions

Making crafts together, establishing a card game tournament, going to see lights, or have a “who can make the best hot chocolate” competition creates long-lasting memories to cherish throughout our lives.  Having good fun during family time allows everyone to interact with each other ways that they may not have before.

Minimize distractions

By storing the phones, tablets, and turning off the tv we are more able to be present and attentive and to enter into deeper conversation to reconnect with each other rather than making simple small talk just to survive the event. Getting to know our friends and family on a deeper level opens the door for opportunities to help each other and be there for each other.

This Christmas break, I challenge you to take in all of those precious moments with our friends and families so that our experiences turn into fond memories that we can carry with us through the year to come through good times and in bad. The joy of Christmas and of Christ is present in being present.

Max Murphy '24, Trinity House, with Mrs. Abby (Wiles) Merkle

Max is a kind and positive young man who exemplifies a level of responsibility beyond his years.  While there was a substitute teacher in the room, Max created a review game for the class to play to study for the upcoming test.  I was very impressed to see this first hand when I came back into the room and everyone was either working on their assignments or reviewing with Max's game.  A big “Thank You” goes to Max for leading the class in active studying!

- Mrs. Abby (Wiles) Merkle '11

What activities do you participate in?

I am team manager for soccer, and I am a player on the volleyball team. 

What's your favorite part of being a student at Carroll?

My favorite part of being a student at carroll is going to the football games and cheering for the team with all of my friends.

What should school “do” for you?

I feel that school should give you a chance to improve and grow in not only your learning and studying skills, but also your social skills that everyone needs when working in groups with others for jobs and occupations.

What’s a lesson you learned when you overcame a difficult obstacle?

When I overcome a huge obstacle in life, I feel satisfied that I beat something that feels insurmountable, and I feel like I grow as a person and gain new skills to make the job easier next time I am faced with a large obstacle.

What’s your biggest dream in life?

My biggest dream in life is to get a college education and have a steady job while still staying in touch with my friends and family.

How do you like spending your free time?

I love to read, play games with my dogs, and spend time with my friends.

Miriam Cleary ‘11 is a Client Specialist at Baird to two financial advisors on a wealth management team in Cincinnati.  She recently spoke with us about how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way she works and how Carroll prepared her for success after high school.

What are some of your responsibilities on a typical day?

“I am in charge of client interactions, facilitating transactions when people need money or talk about distributions from different accounts and trades.  I’m also working on my certified financial planner license.  I do all the planning for our team for a realm of possibilities for our clients.  My day-to-day is making sure our clients have the best experience possible, especially during tax season, because it can get really complicated with all the forms and different days they’re due.  It’s really nice to have those relationships with my clients established before I have to talk to them about what they actually have to pay for their taxes.”

When does tax season start, and how does it affect what you do?

“We provide the forms for the accounts if there is interest paid or retail accounts where there are distributions from qualified accounts.  We started issuing tax forms at the beginning of February because people are always anxious to get their tax forms in.  Usually, things really start to speed up in mid-March.  Because a lot of people do their taxes online or because of the pandemic, they just email everything to their tax person.  It’s much easier than having to worry about when we’re going to get them in the mail.  After April 15, we go back to our day-to-day business like client meetings.”

How has the pandemic changed how you work?

“Our clients are used to meeting with us once, maybe twice a year.  Having to transition from face-to-face meetings in our office to being either on Zoom or on a conference call.  That interaction with us, especially with our older clients, is very important, and it’s very important to us as well because we want to keep that relationship established.  I now have an office set up in my home.  [Baird] has been great about getting all of us access and keeping the internet and network up to speed, but we can’t print [financial documents] at home because of the confidentiality, so getting those things to clients has been a challenge. 

Our clients can’t go out of their homes as much as they could, so we’ve talked to people more and more.  That’s been helpful to me because I’ve been able to re-establish some relationships and talk to people about things other than their investments.”

How did Carroll help prepare you for college and career?

“I graduated from college with a degree in foreign language and international studies and a minor in anthropology, and I work in finance.  People don’t understand how that happened, and sometimes, I’m not sure either.  Carroll made us work hard.  I’m glad I was constantly challenged either Mrs. [Mary Jane] Clark, or Mr. [Jim] Hemmert; all the challenges they threw at us and the sense of responsibility they instilled in us to succeed and help others.  When I got to college, I already knew how to study because of Study Skills my freshman year.  I knew it would be harder, and I had to learn to rededicate my time because the level and amount of work was different, but Carroll made it much easier for me because I was much more established in my study habits.  I already knew what I needed to do, and that transformed into a better experience altogether.  My parents thought it was the most important thing for us to get that education because they knew that it would set us up down the line, and it has.”

What is your advice to current students?

“Remember what you do enjoy about your job, even if it’s something that you may not think you would ever get into, you can try to find something good about having that career.  Be open to those dynamics and understanding that you may not always be right, but that’s how you grow as a person.  Carroll taught me that, and it was expounded on when I got to college.”