On Tuesday, April 21st, the inquiring minds in HSG Grade 8 Religion class hosted an inter-school activity featuring life’s big questions, extending a warm welcome to our male peers from nearby Northmount School. Originally scheduled to last for about one hour and which bubbled along for well over twice as long, this event invited students from both schools to get together to discuss questions about faith, meaning, and belief that they had prepared for one another. The meeting’s goal was to encourage thoughtful dialogue between the students in a respectful and engaging atmosphere. After the discussion, the group sat back to enjoy snacks and refreshments, kindly provided by our host students – and then they continued deliberating!
As part of their preparation, the students generated questions such as:
- How can I follow the path God has given me if it is invisible to my eyes?
- How can people reasonably prove that God is real? Sometimes I find it difficult to believe in God.
- How can you be truly happy if you are suffering?
- How can I live joyfully every day without constant worries?
This collaborative event was supervised by teachers from both schools, namely, from Northmount School, Mr. Anthony Savidge (Grade 8 Religion Teacher) and Mr. Andrew Kurek (Grade 8 Homeroom Teacher), and, from Hawthorn School, Mrs. Sandra Pietrobon (Character Education Teacher) and Ms. Queenie Yu (Grade 8 Religion Teacher).
Also attending this event was special guest Dr. Michael De Robertis, retired Professor of Physics and Astronomy at York University and former President of the Canadian Astronomical Society. Dr. De Robertis’ sons are alumni of Northmount. He is a life-long Catholic with an interest in the complementarity of faith with reason and science. We are so thankful for his help in facilitating and enriching our dialogue.
Following the event, students from each school expressed how much they had enjoyed the sharing of ideas and the challenge of articulating their thoughts around important questions. Many experienced the esprit d’escalier, thinking of what they could have said but didn’t. Given the enthusiasm of our participants and the as-yet unfinished meeting of minds – we still haven’t had enough time to address all of the prepared questions! – a follow-up discussion seemed absolutely necessary! We are very much looking forward to continuing this opportunity for our two schools’ students to engage in meaningful conversation and fellowship with their peers, allowing them to revisit initial questions and to ask even more which have come up for them in the meantime. Stay tuned for our next session, already scheduled for May 5, this time hosted by Northmount School. Wonderful!
