I recently found out that I was chosen for a National Association of Independent Schools Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads. It is a year long fellowship that involves mentoring, professional development and a leadership project.

The first part of the fellowship was attending the NAIS conference. This year it was held in Seattle. And it fell during Aidan’s birthday. It was so disappointing to miss Aidan’s birthday. Thank God for Skype.

The conference was great. There was so much to take in. The theme focused on Innovation. The keynote address was Bill Gates. The concluding presentation was by Amy Chou, the tiger mom. One of the best speakers was Dan Savage from the It Gets Better Project.

It was tough to be away but it was a great start to a new adventure (professionally). And bonus- I got to see James and some of Seattle!

Every year for the last fourteen years I have told the children in the Christmas Pageant it was the best one yet. This year, my fifteenth Christmas Pageant, will be the most special.
A little background first.
When I was little Sister Anna Regina’s third grade class always performed the Christmas Pageant at the Family Mass on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t wait until I was in third grade. I remember in second grade watching the kids and hoping it would be me the next year. But Sister Anna Regina retired and I didn’t get my chance. In the years that followed there would be other ways of incorporating children, but nothing that was the same.
In October of my senior year of high school I was working at the rectory. I asked the pastor if I could bring back the Christmas Pageant. I wrote a script, made a proposal, talked to the school principal and anyone I needed to. The first Christmas Pageant I coordinated included 66 first, second and third graders. There were 45 angels alone! It was standing room only that night at Mass. It was spectacular. Looking back, I can’t believe the amount of trust I had from the parish and the parents!
Each year has been amazing. The year that first group of kids who were in my first pageant participated for the last time, the year we introduced the pageant alums as “helpers”, the year the first group of helpers graduated eighth grade then high school (and I cried through the whole thank you list), the year I lived in Pennsylvania and we made it work, the year I got married, the year I was pregnant (both!). But now there is this year.
This year is Aidan’s first Christmas Pageant. He is going to be a shepherd. And the costume he is going to wear is the costume my mother in law made for Chris. Chris was in Sr. Anna Regina’s last Christmas Pageant. He was a shepherd.
So this year, my fifteenth Christmas Pageant, is going to be very special.