Year after year, once students have fallen back into the groove of school, Cathedral holds its annual open house. This year’s will be held on Saturday, October 15th. Though this event is always on the calendar, many students and parents are unaware of the changes that CCHS is making to the occasion.

Planned by administration, Ambassadors, Associated Student Body (ASB), and Campus Ministry, the CCHS Open House is an opportunity for current parents and parents who are considering Cathedral for their kids to see what the community has to offer. It lasts from 10 AM-2 PM, so people can come at their own convenience.

Normally, Ambassadors lead tours so that parents and potential Dons can go to each classroom and look around. This year, however, Cathedral’s staff had the idea of offering more hands-on experiences. Each department has some kind of activity planned to give parents a better idea of what actually happens during a typical Cathedral class.

Economics and Statistics teacher, and Ambassador director Mr. Tom Rickling, said they are changing it this year to give parents a “more clear idea of what actually happens in the classroom and to provide a more hands on view of what students and teachers do.” Mr. Rickling said that ASB, Ambassadors, and Campus Ministry will all play a role this year. Ambassadors will continue to lead tours and greet visitors.

One example of the many new activities parents and students can see will be held by the Government department, including Ms. Melissa Padgett, Mr. Matt Baier, and Mr. Joe Filippone. Mr. Baier said the Government class’s presentation will consist of two parts – a constitutional convention and a “fish bowl” style of current events.

For the first part, students will debate the merits of different forms of government, using the iPad as a resource, in order to show parents how iPads can be incorporated into academics next year. The second part, Mr. Baier said, will feature a small group in the middle of the classroom discussing a current event, with a circle outside of the smaller group. The outer group will be in a chatroom discussing what the students are saying in the middle without interrupting them. Baier said this is the first year he’s done it, and he believes it is a good way to demonstrate what students actually do in class.

Senior Brendan Reh, a member of Campus Ministry, said the Campus Ministers will take shifts – three students each hour – sitting at a table, ready to explain to parents what it is they do on campus.

“I want to help encourage parents to see that students at Cathedral have character and are true followers of God,” he said. “I want to show them that we well-rounded students who not only focus on academics, but a spiritual life, as well.”

The Government presentation and the talks by Campus Ministry are just a few examples of the many things that will be going on at CCHS this Saturday.