Community Day - Living Out Our Values

Each semester, the College allows a day without classes for our students, staff and faculty the time to volunteer within our community. This fall, we helped clean the monastery for our Sisters, who are such a big part of our lives! #saintsinaction #saintsdo #boldandbenedictine

What do you do, other than cheer?

Our cheerleaders do amazing things in and out of cheer, and in and out of the classroom.  They are heavily involved in the community and dedicated to becoming global citizens.  After all, the world needs more Saints!

Take a look at the feature story on css.edu featuring two-year hockey cheerleader Ixayana Gonzales.

Changing the Conversation: Interview with Ixayana Gonzales

Jumping Out of My Comfort Zone Led to an Amazing Adventure

Growing up I was a figure skater. I started figure skating when I was 2 1/2 and skated all the way through my senior year of high school. During my high school years I always wanted to combine my comfort on the ice with showing school spirit by trying out for hockey cheerleading. However, I'm also a very shy person and even though every year I wanted to try out, I never did it because I wasn't willing to jump out of my comfort zone. My freshman year at St. Scholastica I vowed to change that. It was time for a fresh start and for me to finally take that leap and do what I had been wanting to do for the past four years of high school. Fast forward to tryouts that fall, I was so nervous. I kept second guessing if  I could really do this because I had zero cheerleading experience. However, despite those nerves I showed up to tryouts and managed to make the hockey cheerleading squad! I was so excited and couldn't wait for practices to start so I could meet the rest of the girls and start my journey as a cheerleader. That first year was an amazing experience because I was able to make new friends, continue skating, show my pride for this wonderful school, and jump WAY out of my comfort zone during the winter performance. Before preparing for the winter performance I had never stunted before, but with the support of the rest of the girls I was flying in no time.

If you're considering jumping out of your comfort zone DO IT! I couldn't be happier that I finally decided to try out for cheerleading. The past three years on the hockey squad have been full of great new experiences, friends, and laughter. So do it! Take the plunge! You won't regret it.

Hockey Cheer Squad My Freshman Year 2014-2015

Community Day at HomeCroft!

CSS Cheer takes on HomeCroft for Community Day! Here at Scholastica almost everyone participates in community day. Community day is a day that really allows us as students to show how we represent our Benedictine values. Not only are we reaching out and bettering our community, but we are spreading our values for hospitality and love for learning. Being on the Cheer Team, I had the wonderful experience of volunteering at Home Croft Elementary School.  HomeCroft is a small elementary school not too far from Scholastica.

This years volunteering activity involved reading to the students that attend HomeCroft. I was able to choose three books to read. The student I read to was a little boy, who of course, wanted to read I SPY. But, what little kid doesn’t like reading those books? Those were my favorite! After about forty-five minutes of reading out of our selection of books he thanked us for reading to him and volunteering at his school. The kids there are very well mannered!

Community day as a cheerleader is not only fun because we are able to take a break from school and help out the community, but its also time well spent with the cheer family. We all spend countless hours at practice working super hard, these little breaks are appreciated moments. We love what we do, and we love sharing that with the community.

Jordan Segelstrom 

ALL ABOARD!!!!!

Thomas the Tank Engine rolled into Duluth this past weekend, and the CSS Cheerleaders and their families were there to help make his stay enjoyable for everyone!  The CSS Cheerleaders volunteered on Saturday and Sunday at the event and performed a wide variety of jobs such as handing out prizes and wrist bands, greeting guests, photos with Thomas, face painting and carnival games.  Our own Rachel Jezierski has a new title:  Bubble Goddess!  She worked in the “Bubble Mecca” which consisted of four kiddie pools filled with water, six bottles of dish washing liquid each and an aerator to create mounds of bubbles!  Rachel perfected the art of bubble making that day!  I’m not sure who had more fun – Rachel or the kids! 

In exchange for working at the event, our team gets a donation to our program.  We have big plans this year so every little bit helps.  And in order to meet our volunteer minimum, cheerleaders brought friends, boyfriends, siblings and parents to help out.  We want to say a big THANK YOU to them, especially, as their only interest was the love of their CSS Cheerleader.  I can’t say thank you to them enough – it’s just not possible. 

In all, we honestly enjoyed being at the event.  Watching the excitement on the children’s faces as they saw their hero for the first time was so much fun!  And Duluth provided two days of perfect weather!  We can’t wait to go back next year!  

Hard at work!!

Some of our FABULOUS crew!! 

"Bubble Mecca" and the Bubble Goddess at work!