The educational community of the Saint Augustine High School in Valladolid bids farewell to the year 2024 with activities that complement its main objective of comprehensive education in the personal, social and spiritual sphere.
After the exams, the 2nd year Baccalaureate students of the Saint Augustine High School of the Augustinian Recollects in Valladolid (Spain) enjoyed a day of coexistence with activities to promote camaraderie, reflection and personal well-being.
The Alumni Association ALARVA took the opportunity to explain to these final year students who will leave their school stage at the end of the academic year how to continue connected with their school community, collaborate in all kinds of solidarity actions and promote the education of those who come behind with their testimony and presence.
After sports and games, the attendees participated in a breakfast with their tutors, an appropriate space for more informal but no less interesting conversations, full of concerns, questions, doubts and wishes.
The session was followed by a tutorial session that served to analyze academic results, reflect on the learning process, identify challenges that still need to be overcome, recognize and give thanks for achievements and set goals until the end of the academic year in May.
The day concluded with a conference and round table on mental health. The importance of emotional balance was highlighted and tools were offered to deal with the stress and challenges that all the profound changes that these young students will experience in the coming months entail.
Solidarity
The students from Infant and Primary, together with the delegates from Secondary and Baccalaureate, participated in the church of Our Lady of Consolation in a joint closing prayer for the solidarity campaign “Help us to help”, which collected donations for those affected by the heavy rains and floods in the southeast of Spain.
After collecting basic necessities (clothes, diapers), food (cookies, tins, rice, pasta, vegetables, oil, milk, baby food) and materials for the children (toys, books of stories), this moment of community prayer had the victims of this tragedy at its center at all times.
Advent
The Advent celebrations also began by highlighting the need to be supportive. Several groups of students, in the same temple of Our Lady of Consolation, began Advent by sitting in a large circle around the word “love” written with candles.
The children had to find up to 20 stars hidden throughout the church, each one with the name of a value written inside. The word “DANA” (Isolated Depression at High Levels) in Spanish) was written with the stars, in memory of the victims of this atmospheric phenomenon.
For their part, the 4th grade students visited the chapel to learn about the main symbols of Advent and the opportunity to prepare for Christmas by reinforcing the virtue of hope.
