Sixth Form Officers Issue Community Challenge

Sixth Form officers Estela Lacombe Franca, Elena Guild, Aaron Magloire, and David Roselle took a chance at the end of Spring Term – they issued homework. Although technically an optional assignment, the rising Sixth Formers introduced “joy” as the theme for the 2018-19 school year, and encouraged all SPS community members to read for inspiration The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.

“When planning our Chapel program for this fall, we knew we wanted to continue to emphasize our theme of joy,” said Student Council Treasurer Aaron Magloire. “We figured that, after presenting joy to our community, the natural next step was to focus on how we could all implement joy into our own lives.” Magloire and his fellow officers felt it was easy to preach the importance of joy, but more challenging to provide guidance on how to foster and achieve it. Enter the Joy Challenge. On the morning of September 11, the student leaders introduced three action items, including putting aside time to support friends; pushing oneself to try something new each week; and finding something daily for which to be grateful.

“We are leaders and role models, but I believe it is up to us, as Sixth Form officers, to be honest,” said Magloire. “No one will go through his or her time at St. Paul’s without a bad day, and that is okay. If we can be open about our own difficulties and how we manage them, we can cultivate a culture of students who ask for help when they need it, who treat themselves and others kindly, and who are not knocked off the path to joy by roadblocks.” The Student Council officers hope their charge evolves from a challenge into a lifestyle.