By Lisa Gilbert, St. Peter Academy
There was a parade along the streets of South Boston on October 31st. To be clear, I’m not talking about the Red Sox Parade, that parade which gained national attention to celebrate the fourth World Series win in fourteen years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as big a fan as any of our beloved Sox. I’m proud of our home team and I’m proud to be a Bostonian whenever our teams win high stakes championships.
A native of Boston, I lived in California for many years. In California, there is very little in the way of hometown pride because so few people are actually true native-born Californians. Sure, the transplanted Mid-Westerners, Southerners, and, yes, even New Englanders, root for their new “home team”, but I dare say there is no fan the world over like a Boston fan. I respect the importance of homespun recognition and I applaud the Red Sox for their big win. I would have loved to see their homecoming parade, had I not been a participant in another parade across town on the very same day, at the very same hour.
The students of St. Peter Academy, all eighty of them, from toddlers to fifth graders, took to the streets on Halloween morning. With two of our older students leading the way, signaling our arrival with the ringing of a hand-held school bell, children big and small marched in costume. Harry Potter, Annie Oakley, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and other famous characters were represented. Even our teachers donned costumes- Charlie Chaplin and an oversized Pepsi can, to name a few. The youngest of our flock toddled along, too, mostly in farm animal costumes; not fully understanding what all the fuss was about. Those parents who could get away from work joined us for the jaunt. People on the sidewalk paused to let us pass, and I noticed drivers slowing down to catch a glimpse of the sweet sight on Broadway. Everyone loves a parade, especially one featuring children.
Speaking of fans, I’m not even going to try to disguise my partiality. I am a really big fan of St. Peter Academy students. Whether they are fifteen months old or ten years old, I love them all. I’m a fan of their enthusiasm, their innocence, their goodness. I’m a fan of who they are today and of who they will become. I see their potential and I am looking forward to all the good things that these young people will do for our world someday. Today, they parade around in costumes on the streets of South Boston, but in the not-so-distant future they will be adults. Like us, as adults they will be preoccupied with the problems of the day. But for now, let them be children. Let them pretend and try on different roles. After all, it’s in role play that they learn about themselves and their world.
Those of us who work with children are hope-holders. We come to work each day carrying hope for the future. We don’t often see the immediate fruits of our labor, yet we hope and believe that one day these children will become productive adults. But for now, there are parades to march in and there are costumes to wear. Let the bell harken their coming, and when we hear it, let us pause, for the children walk among us.
St. Peter Academy, 371 West Fourth Street, South Boston, MA 617-268-0750 spa@stpeteracademy.com
