The prices we pay to dance with boys
Kate Neuhaus	Mary Huerter
Football games, proms, standardized testing. These are the things we are supposed to remember about high school. Already I have started saying, “But it’s our last last Friday in August”…we’ll never have Walk-a-thon again”…etc…etc. I never imagined I would be a nostalgic senior so soon in the year, but it’s hit me. I’m trying to “treasure the moments”…well, maybe not that nostalgic… These “moments” really are the things that I have remembered about high school, which is why I was so excited to be a freshman retreat leader my senior year. Freshman retreat would allow me to be a role model for others while learning more about myself. I had been excited about my position all summer, until a rumor reached my ears that Marian’s freshman retreat weekend was the same weekend as Creighton Prep’s homecoming dance. My fellow retreat leaders and I were disappointed. We had come upon a real conflict of interest, one that seemed to have no right answer. This date would not only affect the junior and senior leaders, but also the sophomores on shadow crew. By ignoring the dance and continuing as scheduled with freshman retreat, I felt that my dedication and enthusiasm would be compromised. I could honestly say that on the night of Oct 4, I might feel a twinge of jealously for those who could put on their pretty dresses and dance all night. The second option of dropping out as a leader seemed too selfish to even consider. I would have been the girl who quit a spiritual, meaningful weekend to get my hair done. The guilt behind this would have been huge. Although I knew I would never seriously drop out as a leader, I hated having to choose between the two. It seemed as if I were choosing between two events that both would add significance to my senior year. I know, I know. Is homecoming really as significant as freshman retreat? Probably not. However, it is still as much of a memory as freshman retreat. A simple solution is the future coordination of calendars between the two schools. Since events at both schools affect so many individuals, wouldn’t it be smart to sit down and discuss conflicts? If this had happened before, this problem would be non-existent. I am very grateful that Campus Ministry changed the date to a later weekend. It will allow me and other leaders to come with no bitterness or inhibitions. It has also allowed me to experience homecoming in my senior year. I haven’t had to grant points of importance to decide which event deserved my presence. I didn’t have to choose which night meant more. The change of date allowed me to experience all the times I hope to remember fondly about senior year.	Homecoming is the hottest thing to hit high school since vending machines, but this seems a little much. While freshman retreat is one of the cornerstone experiences upon which Marian begins growing girls of a slightly different caliber. Creighton Prep’s homecoming is not. I’m not going to say that it was completely absurd that retreat planners changed the date to accommodate leaders who wanted to go to homecoming. I’ll even congratulate their flexibility. I am going to say that maybe a little more thorough calendar check may have been appropriate. The freshman retreat date was changed from Oct. 4, the night of homecoming at Prep, to the supposedly empty weekend of Nov. 1. This, in itself, is not a problem – rather, it was very considerate of the planners to inconvenience themselves for the comfort of the retreat leaders. The problem arose when the retreat planners realized that the weekend of Nov. 1 is indeed not empty, it is the weekend of cheerleading Metros. Originally, the leaders were under the impression that Metros would be on Sunday, Nov. 2. Although not optimal, this would still have been okay, the leaders would just have had to leave a little bit early. Now I’m not even sure how fair it is to ask these girls to dance after spending the previous two days setting up and leading Freshman retreat, but when the planners realized Metros were in fact on Saturday, not Sunday, the conflict became unavoidable. There is no way around it; the cheerleaders will have to resign from leading freshman retreat. This situation is unfortunate, but not really a huge problem. The cheerleaders will still be allowed to be at the retreat, just not as small group leaders. The real problem is the way the retreat will suffer for the loss of the leaders. The groups that these cheerleaders were to have led will be less dynamic in that they will have one less leader. This sort of thing starts to impact the quality of the retreat for the freshman, and that is really quite a shame. All in all, it seems like the whole situation is really very unfortunate. The end product is unhappy cheerleaders and a freshman retreat that is somehow less than it could have been. Hopefully the dance is fun.