Columbus Day is a day off for most schools, but Mount Carmel sees it as the perfect opportunity to give prospective students the chance to experience a day with the Caravan.

On Monday, October 13, 156 grade school students spent the day at Mount Carmel. These students came from over 30 grammar schools throughout the Chicago area and parts of Indiana.

Prospective students got to feel what it’s like to walk the halls of Mount Carmel, and for many that experience clarified their interest. Alex Tracy, an 8th grader from St. John Fisher School in Beverly, commented, “I think I might come to Mount Carmel because of Shadow Day.”

Noah Jones, from Francis Xavier Warde School in downtown Chicago, added, “I love the all-boys atmosphere here.”

The shadows followed their hosts through a full day of school, participating in classroom activities and intramurals. They also enjoyed the traditional Shadow Day lunch consisting of pizza, a cookie, and gatorade.

At the end of the day, the shadows  gathered in the gym to learn what Mount Carmel is all about: these talks were given by Mr. Bill Nolan, Mr. Frank Lenti, Mr. John Stimler, Fr. Tony Mazurkiewicz, and Mr. Phil Segroves. Finally, the students were all sent home with a Mount Carmel t-shirt and an understanding of Carmel life.

All shadows were also invited to come back with their families to visit a Mount Carmel Open House in the future, either on Sunday, November 9th from 11am-2pm or on Thursday, December 4th from 6-8pm. Another

great event for prospective students is the Honors Open House on Tuesday, November 25th at 6pm. This will give families a chance to learn about the new Ehrenstrom Scholar Fraternity and view the school.