BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Trip to see Bella: A Journey into the Heart

The administration of Mary Help of Christian’s Academy has always been aware that educational opportunities do not only happen in the classroom. One such opportunity came at the CJM Hawthorne Fiveplex with the showing of Bella. With a total of four buses and two trips the MHCA family trekked to the theater to watch the movie on December 7, 2007.  

As the lights in the theater dimmed, each person in the audience gradually became enveloped in the lives of Nina, a working class American, struggling to work at a restaurant and Jose, the brother of the restaurant owner. The actors gradually reveal their pasts and the unexpected twists in life that took them far from their original plans to lives that neither ever imagined they would be living; Nina, alone with an unwanted pregnancy and Jose, with the forever lost opportunity to become a famous soccer player.  The questions and lessons, pains and secrets, come together in relationships of true love that open the door to life and commitment, family and faith embodied in the birth of a little girl called Bella.

Once the movie ended it was obvious that the surprises in Bella caught the students by surprise, as they “never expected it to be so good”. On the trip home and in class, the variety of symbols and deeper meaning which occurred in the movie were talked about with enthusiasm. One student pointed out that as Jose built a garden at his house in the film, the beautiful flowers and trees growing could be easily analogized to the beautiful (or “Bella”) baby growing inside Nina. Analysis aside, however, it was evident that every person who took in Bella not only enjoyed it, but also learned a life lessons, including the ingredients for wholesome relationships.

Junior and Seniors Arts and Humanities Trip to Montclair State University
In an effort to enrich the English curriculum at Mary Help of Christians Academy, the English department often brings the students on field trips that enhance their in-school lessons and activities. Ireene Gold, the department chair, along with Jessica Borrell, an English teacher, accompanied 18 students (nine juniors and nine seniors), interested in the English field, to a Humanities and Arts lecture at Montclair State University on December 6, 2007.

The students attended three lectures each, all which dealt with the art of humor in literature. One, called, “The Rise of the Smart Aleck,” delved into the beginning of sarcasm, how it seeps into literature, beginning with authors like Benjamin Franklin, and how it augments the reader’s experience in reading the text.  Another discussed the importance of political satire, both in reading as well as in contemporary television shows. As MHCA’s students listened attentively to the lectures, amidst about 400 students from various high schools in the area, they learned new insights into reading. Additionally, students also received the chance to walk around and explore a college campus, in which students were actively going to and from class. All in all, it was an eventful day, full of newfound knowledge for MHCA students.

Child Soldiers
In September of this year, four students from the Social Justice course attended a talk by renowned author Ishmael Beah at the Opening Convocation of Ramapo College.  Beah discussed his best selling book A LONG WAY GONE, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, recounting his experiences as a child soldier during the war in his home country, Sierra Leone.   Now twenty-six years old, he recounted his journey from a joyful childhood to one full of violence and terror.   Beah shared in his talk the struggle to regain his humanity and his discovery of hope and redemption in the process.   The four students who attended the talk were moved with compassion to find a living example of the principles being explored in their Social Justice course, especially that of the life and dignity of the human person and the need for solidarity among all people.

Summer Honors Biology - Something Fishy
During the summer MHCA offers a Summer Honors Biology Course.  A field study experience is an important part of the course.  This past summer our students visited the New Jersey Fish Hatchery in Hackettstown, N.J.  This one day outdoor lab included collecting and identifying living organisms from the various ponds.  The students also tried their luck at fishing, they caught and identified various species of pond water fish, the day ended with a guided informative tour of the NJ Fish Hatchery.