As a student at Loretto Academy, there are many opportunities and activities for each grade level.   

Throughout the years, Loretto has been known for many things, including its traditions, academics and sisterhood. 

Field Day 

Starting with ninth grade, the freshmen students looked forward to their first in-person tradition, the Big Sister / Little Sister Picnic.

Freshman, Alanah Garcia, said, “I loved it. 

I had an amazing time with my friends and my biggie.” 

Garcia said she enjoys being part of the sisterhood and its traditions.  

Another freshman student, Chloe Bonilla, said, “I think they are really fun traditions and give us the chance to bond with our biggies.” 

Bonilla said that this year’s Big Sister/ Little Sister Picnic was thrilling and fun for her and her classmates. 

The juniors and sophomores show their school spirit by reciting their class cheers in unison. Loretto students were overjoyed to be able to continue traditions in a safe, yet fun way.

The effects of the pandemic on students:

Three of the main issues were directed toward freshmen and seniors: whether or not the seniors would be able to have a traditional graduation, the transition for incoming freshmen from middle school to high school, and the traditions that the seniors and freshman would miss out on.

“As freshmen, we were able to participate in a couple of traditions, but they were modified due to the pandemic, so I feel like I didn’t get to live the full freshman experience,” said Loretto sophomore, Amelie Juarez.

Many of her freshman peers agreed to this statement by saying that they wished to have experienced the Big sister/ little sister picnic.

On the contrary, sophomore Mary Nava said, “I felt very lucky to have experienced my freshman year online because it helped me adjust to high school. 

I didn’t really care for the activities because I knew that I would still be able to experience them later on in my high school career.”

Spirit Week:

Spirit week is one of the popular events that Loretto rewards its students with at the beginning of the school year.

It is a week for students to participate in costume contests between grades.

  The grade that scores the highest wins a special prize at the end of the week.

This year, many students made up for the year that the pandemic took from them by giving it their all to participate in each of the activities during the week.

“Spirit week has always been my favorite tradition at Loretto because we get to take a break from our uniforms and let out our creative side,” said junior Natalie Navarro.

Spirit Week ends with the main event, Field Day, which is a day when the entire high school takes a day off from school and goes outdoors to participate in fun, memorable games.

“My favorite game during field day was the inflatable obstacle course.”

“It was a new idea the staff added to change things up, and that course would have not been possible without the help from Ms. Glover,” said junior/staff member of the Loretto Athletic Association, Regina Leyva.

This day was designed to bind students together despite any differences between freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

The outcome of this day had a chaotic ending.

The winners for this year’s Field day were the juniors in first place, the sophomores in second, the seniors in third, and the freshmen in fourth place.

Many of the juniors replied by saying that their victory was well deserved because they participated in all of the activities with energy and enthusiasm.

Seniors departing from traditions 

The seniors have united as they get ready to part ways for college next year. 

As Loretto Angels, they share their four Loretto values to guide them into their next chapter of life.

The class of 2022 has made an incredible amount of memories at Loretto Academy through its traditions.   

“My favorite tradition from Loretto is Ring Rose because we all share a closer bond with each other and keep that sisterhood friendship no matter what,” said senior Carolina Garcia.

Garcia said that it’s different to celebrate traditions as a senior because it’s “not the same” as when she was a freshman. 

Garcia said, “A comparison I can make from my freshman year to now is my close relationship with my teachers who are there for me and know who I am, as for when I was a freshman, they had no idea who I was.” 

Many of Loretto’s traditions were dormant during the pandemic due to social distancing regulations, but once things became clearer, students were able to continue coming together as a sisterhood by bringing traditions back in a safe manner.