The Counseling Department held the third annual “Love Life Week” February 8-12. The theme for 2021 is “Joy.”

BIG PURPOSE

“We can all agree that this year has been remarkably challenging for a lot of different reasons and in a lot of different ways,” explained the Counseling Department in a letter about "Love Life Week." “We acknowledge that due to limitations and restrictions in our lives, some of the things we used to turn to bring us joy are either not available or perhaps our heavy hearts make it hard to notice or experience joy. Therefore, our goal for the week is to simply offer opportunities for joyful moments (and other positive feelings) and our hope is that hearts are open to experiencing them.”

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THE PLANS

MERITS

Throughout the week, teachers are handing out “Merits.” While everyone is familiar with demerits, Mount Carmel teachers can also give out “Merits,” which are given to students whose behavior fosters a culture of love, kindness, and joy. These actions can be as simple as holding a door open for someone, sitting with a student who is by themselves at a table, or celebrating another student’s achievement … the possibilities are endless.

AFFIRMATION HEARTS

Students in religion classes were given “Affirmation Hearts” at random. On the back of each hearts name is that of another student. Students were asked to spend a few moments to think about what they admired about the person whose card they were given and to write an affirmation anonymously. The hearts were collected and taped to the students’ lockers.

THINK POSITIVE

The Counseling Department posted some of their favorite quotes around campus to inspire and encourage the students.

DAILY JOY

Each morning announcement was written by a different counselor with the hope of giving students different perspectives and multiple ways to think about, experience, and notice “joy.”

Monday: Playlist full of positive, joyful, and upbeat songs played during each lunch period.

Tuesday: Mrs. Jacobs-Stanley invited students to unwind and relax during a 10-minute meditation.

Wednesday: After Mass with the theme of “joy,” students will watch the Ted Talk, “Leading with Lollipops,” which discusses redefining leadership, encouraging kindness, and spreading JOY through small but meaningful actions. 

Thursday: Student Council will be giving out lollipops to students during lunch.  The lollipops, inspired by the previous day’s Ted Talk, are being handed out as a symbol to encourage students to be kind and make a difference in other people’s lives.

Friday: Raffles and other joyful surprises are planned.