Voices Ringing Blog /

If you are anything like me, the holiday season is a bit overwhelming. I love seeing all of my family and friends, and the food and sweets are an added bonus, but all the commotion and the price tags that come with it can turn me into a bit of grinch sometimes. I can sometimes catch myself thinking, “Can we just fast forward to New Year's Day and skip all of this hustle and bustle?”  It’s at these moments when I really appreciate the spirit of Advent.

Advent is all about preparation that allows us to reorient and focus on what the holidays are all about: Christ’s coming and Second Coming! 

This reorientation and focus allows me to put all of the stress of the holidays into its proper perspective and provides me with a bit of grounding that allows me to enjoy the season instead of just getting through the season. This year, my Advent companions are the three Magi, and hopefully, two of the tips they provide can help you and me appreciate this time of preparation.

Follow the Signs

The Magi were wise men who journeyed from their far-off homes in the East to pay their respects to a soon to be born king.  Unlike now, they didn’t have Google Maps to help them along the way, but they did have a few things. They had the knowledge of the Scriptures that provided a general location of their destination and a Star that guided them to their destination.

It must have seemed daunting to set out on such a journey across mountains, rivers, and deserts with the little information that they had, but courageously, they set out nonetheless. Life can present us with similar circumstances. Sometimes we may know where we want to go, but we may not know how we are going to get there. It’s times like this where I look for the signs God is sending me.

For some, that destination may be trying to find the peace of Christ when the demands of the holidays and the stress that comes with them threaten to rob you of the joy of the season. For others, the destination may be finding ways to share the joy of the season with others around you. Some of you may be in the same boat as me, trying to find the joy of the season in the absence of a loved one who is no longer with us to celebrate.

One of the cool things about the human brain is that it scans the world around us for patterns, and once it recognizes the patterns, it actively searches to discover more and more connections for those patterns. Like the Magi, we can discover the signs in our life of God’s presence and guidance that allow us to truly participate in the hope of Christ’s coming. One way that I’m more actively search these signs is to be more attentive to things that I am thankful for. That’s why this Advent, I am going to look for one or two things from each day that I am thankful for that I can offer up to God in prayer. Hopefully, the more I practice looking for those things to be thankful for, I’ll be more focused on the positive things of this holiday season. 

Meaningful Gifts 

The Magi didn’t leave their homes empty-handed. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts were not merely material but also symbolized the mission of Christ for the world and our lives. The gold testified to Christ’s kingship, the frankincense indicated Christ’s role as the high priest, and the myrrh prophesied Christ’s dying and rising. These gifts should inspire us to be more present, pun intended, this holiday season.

I know that for myself, I am tempted to think more about the things that go into an event than actually experiencing the event.  Sometimes, I become too distracted by what needs to be done that I’m too exhausted to enjoy myself when the event finally arrives. It’s times like this that I remind myself that Christ’s name of Immanuel means “God with us”, and one way where I make more room at the inn for Christ this season is by spending more time with him. One way I can spend more time with him is by meeting Christ in the sacraments such as reconciliation and the mass. Another way I can spend more time with Christ is by recognizing Christ in other people. I’m hoping to accomplish this recognition of encountering Christ in others by reminding myself that the people I encounter or will be encountering are the focus of the season rather than the food, presents, or decorations that are the symbols of the season.

Greetings from the Guidance Department!

This is a year of change for us in two ways. Mrs. Lane retired after wholeheartedly serving 41 years at Carroll High School. She will be missed, but we are excited to welcome a new counselor and shake up the department. We have moved to 9th through 12th grade counseling. Now, instead of students changing counselors halfway through high school, they will have the same counselor for all four years. We look forward to the continuity this positive change will bring for our students.

Courtney (Limbert) Graham '97

I am the guidance counselor for students whose last names begin with letters A through G. I am starting my eighth year at Carroll and worked for three years prior as a counselor at Alter High School (It took me three years to come to my senses -- wink-wink!). In addition to my role as counselor, I am also a Dean of St. Mary’s House (Ave!) and the moderator of Harry Potter Club (where all muggles are welcome). I enjoy so many aspects of being a counselor, from aiding students in their college and career process to keeping track of graduation credit checks to offering a safe space when students are having a rough day.

Chris Pennington

I am the Director of Guidance as well as counselor for all students whose last names begin with letters P through Z. I have been a counselor for the past thirteen years with eight of them being at Carroll. My daughter is a current sophomore in college, so I have recent experience in the college process personally. The most enjoyable part of my job is working with students and families as they maneuver through the college process.

Jennifer Urbaniak

I am the guidance counselor for students whose last names begin with letters H to O. This is my first year at Carroll, and I could not imagine beginning my career as a counselor anywhere else. Prior to coming to Carroll, I served as a long-term sub for a counselor at Milford High School. I am very eager to meet all of my students, and I look forward to seeing all of the amazing things they will accomplish during their time at Carroll. My door is always open, and I encourage anyone to stop by if they need anything at all, or even just to say hello.

Bev (Amatulli) Lightner '73

I am the administrative assistant in the Guidance Department, also known as "Aunt Bev" in my Baltimore Family Room. I have worked in the Guidance Department for 17 years. The most enjoyable and rewarding part of my job is interacting with the students and watching them grow in to young adults. The 17 years I have worked in the Guidance Department has been a rewarding and sometimes challenging adventure.

Market yourself to the world

You will deepen your understanding of other cultures thus making you more marketable in the job market. Employers are seeking candidates who can help their company compete globally. The number of jobs in the last five years requiring a second language has doubled.

Keep your mind sharp

Studying a World Language improves memory, problem solving, and critical thinking skills and the ability to multitask.

Prepare for college

Studying a World Language gives students opportunities to earn college credits through our very successful AP language program.  Studies have also shown that being bilingual improves your cognitive skills unrelated to language and can even delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Broaden your horizons

You will gain a deeper appreciation of art, literature, music and film in the original language.

In conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Carroll High School is spending the year researching, training, and presenting on issues related to greater awareness of mental health issues among teens. The AFSP is a national organization that provides sound, research-based programming on the prevention of suicide, as well as tools for greater awareness regarding issues of mental health. 

Faculty and Student Training

During an upcoming meeting with the Director of the AFSP, the faculty and staff learn how to identify signs of mental health distress in students and refer them for help. According to the AFSP's website, the program complies with the requirements for teacher education suicide prevention training in many states.”  Once the faculty and staff have those concrete tools, the students will go through training on how to recognize signs and symptoms of depression, understand the stigma of depression, and how to find help for themselves and others.  

ASIST Program

Soon after the student programming, a group of volunteer faculty and staff members will go through an intensive training over two days with other educators in the greater Dayton area called the ASIST program (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training).  ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Since its development in 1983, ASIST has received regular updates to reflect improvements in knowledge and practice, and more than 1 million people have taken the workshop.

Preparing the Class of 2020 for success

In the Spring, we hope to bring the AFSP in for the graduating seniors to present the program “It’s Real”. This program provides information on mental health issues for students in college and prepares our seniors for the next steps in their lives after Carroll.  

What are the resources for parents?

I’m glad you asked. One resource is checking out these quick videos from the AFSP.  When you visit the site, click on Children and Adolescents for quick research based information on mental health. Spend some time researching, exploring, and talking about these issues with your son or daughter. The more we speak about the topic, the better we can desensitize the stigma of depression and mental health issues with teens, which can begin breaking down barriers.

Carroll English Department with their favorite novels

Ann (Calderone) Bertke ‘88 

I’m starting my 28th year as a teacher at Carroll (the first 20 in the math department). Currently, I am the English Department Chair and testing coordinator, and I teach English IV, Theater Arts, and Public Speaking. One of my favorite quotes is from Man’s Search for Meaning: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

Mary Kate Caserta 

I teach Introduction to Literature and English II. My favorite author to teach is Shakespeare because as soon as I say his name, the students groan, but reinventing Shakespeare for freshmen and sophomores and discussing the themes that apply to their own lives is always rewarding. My students laugh when Capulet calls Tybalt a “saucy boy” in Romeo and Juliet. 

Lindsay Herrmann 

I teach Honors English I and II. Teaching writing, especially in ways that are creative, and having students rediscover reading and writing for pleasure are two of my favorite things. A quote from my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, is “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

Marcy (Hemmert) Hughes ‘83 

I teach Honors Composition and Literature College Credit Plus and Theatre Arts I and II . Many students do not know the impact their words can have on others. Students find their voices enriched by the literature we breathe at Carroll. We connect with written memories. Daphne du Mauier writes in Rebecca, “If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.” With these words, we connect.

Ben Joplin

I teach Reading Lab, Experiences in Literature, English III, and Public Speaking. I absolutely love Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Our students are fortunate enough to have an entire English Department that cares deeply about not only their academic successes but their development as bright and caring individuals. Steinbeck writes "I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit."

Claire O’Malley 

I teach AP Literature, AP Language, and English Honors III. I teach Pride and Prejudice in my AP Literature class, and it is such a wonderful experience to be able to share the beauty of that novel with my students. The thing I love most about Austen is that she makes you laugh and causes your heart to beat a little faster at any mention of Mr. Darcy, but her novels are much more philosophically and historically thought-provoking if you give it time and really pay attention.”

Molly Stanifer 

I teach Classic Literature and Writing and co-teach English I. One of my favorite authors and poets to discuss is Maya Angelou. Her ideas of self-love and respecting others is a universal voice that our students echo. A favorite Angelou quote is, ”‘I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Ben Swick 

I am an Intervention Specialist and co-teach English I. My favorite book is Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  Wonder teaches valuable lessons about friendship, courage, character, and kindness. It is through this book where I learned that differences among people should be celebrated and looked at in a positive light. My favorite quote from the book is, “When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.”