More than 100 boys from nearly 30 middle schools across New Jersey joined members of the Classes of 2024 and 2025 at Grand & Warren on March 22 for an all-day workshop on leadership hosted in conjunction with students from Saint Dominic Academy.
Young students arrived at Prep from Academy of Our Lady; All Saints Catholic Academy; All Saints Episcopal Day School; Corpus Christi School; Elysian Charter School; Good Shepherd Academy; Hamilton Park Montessori; Hoboken Charter School; Hoboken Dual Language Charter School; Holy Trinity School; Hudson Montessori School; Jersey City Global Charter School; Lacordaire Academy; Learning Community Charter School; Notre Dame Academy; OLC; Our Lady of Sorrows; Primary Prep; Queen of Peace; Robert Treat Academy; Sacred Heart; Saint Thomas the Apostle; St. Francis Academy; St. Michael; St. Nicholas School; St. Rose of Lima Academy; and TECCS.
Following a welcome in the library from Director of Admissions Mr. John Irvine, ‘83, P ‘11, they separated into small groups and attended various activities throughout the day, including icebreakers, discussions, and reflections on themes like leading by example, taking initiative, and resolving conflict.
More than 100 girls from middle schools across New Jersey then joined them in the Commons for lunch with representatives from Saint Dominic Academy in Jersey City.
Prep President Dr. Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 offered some words of encouragement to all the young leaders in attendance.
“You’re a person who’s going to gather folks together, inspire them, and put a dent in the universe,” he said. “You might say: who am I to put a dent in the universe? And I say: who if not you, and when if not now?”
Keynote speeches followed from Julian Rodriguez, ’24 of Prep, who encouraged the audience to embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and Mia Barth, ’24 of Saint Dominic Academy, who urged leaders to prioritize their own wellbeing before they could lead others to make meaningful changes in their communities.
At the end of the workshop, all the participants received a certificate of completion as they adjourned, newly energized by the day’s learning.