Seniors Clare Pierret and Geoff Parkes are the student leaders of Peer Ministry. Senior Kate LaCasse recently asked them about this year’s mission and goals.

In what ways do you think this year’s theme, F.I.R.E. (Freeing, Inspiring, Reaching, and Empowering) will impact the CBA community?

Clare: I hope that this year’s theme will push students to reach out and try to make a difference in the CBA community.  We want everyone to get involved, not just juniors and seniors, but the seventh graders too.  Our goal was to influence the entire CBA community to do more than what is usually expected of them and with our theme, I think we have achieved our goal.  We wanted people challenging themselves to do more for the community, inside and outside of CBA.  Our theme makes people realize that one small act can set off an entire chain reaction.  We encourage people to give a spark to enhance the flame of the CBA community.

Geoff: I think the F.I.R.E (Freeing Inspiring Reaching Empowering) theme has the potential to change the overall atmosphere of this school! These words that form the word FIRE are verbs, meaning that action is crucial to transforming this theme from simple words on a page to a reality at CBA. We want to bring about positive changes to how we treat and view each other at school. This theme is going to bring out the best in our CBA student body by inspiring them to contribute their individual “sparks” to not only their class flame, but also to the flame of the whole student body

Can you explain how the new “Brother’s Buddies” program came about, and the impact it has already had.

Clare: As a senior class, we all wanted to be more approachable. We had walked through the hallways at CBA for five years and were always a bit intimidated by the seniors, which is to be expected, but we wanted to fix that.  We wanted underclassmen to feel welcomed and accepted, even though they were younger.  By being more approachable, we hoped that the CBA community would be more like the family that it truly is.  The first step to achieving our goal was creating “Brothers’ Buddies.”  We thought that a program involving both the leaders of the school and the newest members of the CBA community would be beneficial to everyone.  This has proven to be a major success.  I have talked to many of the seniors, asking if they liked the new program, and an overwhelming majority absolutely loved having a seventh grade buddy to look after and offer support and advice to.  We have been in school for a little over a month and already we have created a reputation for ourselves as the “approachable class.”

Geoff: The Brother’s Buddy program has started this year off on a high note! The senior class has long been regarded as the scary and intimidating “big kids” who roamed the hallways talking only to their senior friends. Before this school year had even started, members of the senior class wanted the Class of 2016 to be seen as approachable. This year the senior class took the initiative, paired up with a 7^th grader, and sat with them at the first Mass! They did more than just be approachable and kind to the 7^th graders. They planted the seed of friendship, which will grow over the year as the seniors get to know their Buddies!

What is your favorite thing to do in Peer Ministry?

Clare: My favorite thing to do in Peer Ministry is organize the liturgical ministries.  I believe this is a very special time for the entire CBA community to get together and celebrate the faith we were founded on and continue to practice.  CBA is a faith-based community and we continue to strive to do God’s work in everything we do.  We make our liturgical ministries a time of peace and quiet for the students, faculty, and staff.  We try to make this a time for them to reflect and be able to take time out of their busy schedules to spend time with God.  This is one of the most important parts of Peer Ministry because everything we do is based on out Catholic faith.

Geoff: My favorite thing to do in Peer Ministry is to choose music for Masses. Many a great memory was made early Monday mornings straining to hear music being played out of somebody’s smartphone as we tried to decide on music for a Mass.

What is your favorite pastime?

Clare: My favorite pastime would be participating in sports.  I play soccer, basketball, and softball here at CBA.  But I love to play almost any sport.  I enjoy other sports such as golf, tennis, hockey, and badminton.  I enjoy watching college and professional sports as well.  I proudly cheer for the New York Mets and Fightin’ Irish of Notre Dame.

Geoff: My favorite pastime is definitely snowboarding; However, if I were going into the times of the past, I loved playing with Legos.