"I Am St. Francis"
The Faith Perspective: Five Questions for Kairos Leaders Will R. ’22 and Sarah R. ‘22
1. What co-curricular activities do you participate in? What are your plans for next year?
Will: I play baseball and am in National Honors Society at St. Francis. My plans going forward next year is to study Biomedical Engineering in college in order to become a physical therapist eventually.
Sarah: I participate in St. Francis Girl’s Lacrosse, SALT, Student Government Executive Board, World Language Honor Society, and Club Lacrosse. I plan on attending Illinois Wesleyan University to play on the Lacrosse team and to study Elementary Education with a minor in coaching.
2. What does the SFHS retreat program mean to you and why did you want to be a Kairos leader?
Will: The SFHS retreat program has meant a great deal to me and has helped me grow in a way I did not think possible. I had enjoyed all my religion classes at St. Francis and Junior year I got asked by my Freshman year religion teacher to apply to go on Kairos in order to be a leader the next year. I did what he said, and I got to be a leader this year for my classmates. It was a way I could connect with them and grow the relationship with those who I did not get to spend enough time with throughout my 3 previous years of high school.
Sarah: The retreat programs at St. Francis really mean a lot to me, from freshman year going to Feed my Starving Children all the way to Kairos. The retreats have given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and my classmates, and to grow more in my faith. I decided to become a Kairos leader because Kairos was an important experience for me. Kairos gave me the time to take a step back and look at my relationships with God and the people around me. I wanted to be a Kairos leader because I wanted to be able to help the new candidates on Kairos have the same amazing experience that I did!
3. Describe how your faith has grown/evolved during your four years at SFHS.
Will: My faith was not strong until my freshman year. The teacher I had questioned things about my faith which I had never looked at before and this allowed me to more deeply understand how and why I believe and have faith in different areas of my life. I have learned that questioning your faith and what you believe in makes you stronger and allows you to grow.
Sarah: My faith is something that has really evolved over the years. The religion classes at St. Francis have helped me grow in my faith a lot. The open concept of learning and talking with the people around me helped me learn more about God and where I stood in my faith. Kairos was an experience that also helped me grow in my faith so much. I was able to reflect on where I was in my faith journey, listen to others, and learn so much about God.
4. What has been most surprising about your SFHS experience?
Will: The most surprising thing about my SFHS experience has been building a relationship with my teachers. I did not think I would be able to talk to them like they are my friends and get to know them more than surface level. Through Kairos and my classes I have gotten to know my teachers deeper and it has helped my learning experience at SFHS to grow as well.
Sarah: One of the most surprising things about St. Francis is really seeing the community around you. The community at St. Francis is something that many people say is one of the most amazing parts about St. Francis and it is. Having a good community around me is something that is really important to me, so when I came to St. Francis and was able to see how amazing the community actually is, I was very pleasantly surprised. I have never been a part of a more welcoming and kinder community than the one at St. Francis.
5. What one word would you use to describe your feelings toward SFHS?
Will: I would say the one word I would use would be bond. I feel like SFHS does such a good job of inclusion and making you feel like you are known throughout the school community. You are not the only person caring about what happens to you or your grades, it is reciprocated by the staff and students within the SFHS community.
Sarah: I would say that I am grateful to St. Francis. St. Francis has helped shape me into the person I am today. St. Francis has introduced to some of my best friends and people that I hope I will continue to be friends with for the rest of my life. St. Francis not only introduced me to great friends, but St. Francis has also helped me grow in my faith. If not for St. Francis, and the amazing faculty and staff, I would not be as strong in my faith as I currently am.
