“Thank you to the Foundation for the most amazing PD experience! It was the best teaching conference I’ve ever been to. I was able to walk away with so many new strategies to use in the classroom.”
— Mrs Clark (Learning Specialist)
“Very blessed to have had this experience. Thank you.”
— Mrs. Rivera (Preschool)
“I am grateful to be part of the SCJ team. Thank you to the Foundation for an unforgettable experience.”
— Mrs. Mika (2nd)
“Thank you to the Foundation for sending us to the conference and thank you for offering us opportunities make us better educators in the classroom.”
— Ms. Ramos (5th)
“I have already incorporated some of the techniques that I learned at GYTO. Thank you so much for funding this incredible learning opportunity.”
— Mr. Miller (6th ELA)
“Estoy muy agradecida. This conference weekend was truly a life changing experience.”
— Senorita Ramos (Spanish teacher and aide)
“Thank you for sending us to this amazing conference. I am so thankful for having this opportunity.”
— Mrs. Prado (Primary Aide)
Student Testimonials
“Mock Trial was an unforgettable experience that taught me valuable skills I will use for years to come. As a participant, I learned how to craft opening and closing statements, conduct direct and cross-examinations, and improve my public speaking. Stepping into a real courtroom and presenting a case in front of an actual judge was both challenging and exciting. Even if you don’t plan to be a lawyer, the confidence and critical thinking skills you gain from Mock Trial will benefit you in college and beyond. I’m grateful for the experience and the support from our amazing Mock Trial teachers, and to the Foundation for sponsoring this program—I look forward to participating again next year! ”
— Albie Mouawad SCJ '27
“At St. Cyril, our class often used VR for almost every history unit. Using VR helped us visualize and see what surrounds historical sites. The program also had a lot of interesting sites and locations that would show you some context and it explained all of the history behind it. Many students, like myself, are visual learners and having that guide really helps put all of the lessons together. When we were learning about ancient Rome, we were able to see the Colosseum. The VR program gave us notes at different parts of the tour so that we could connect our visuals to the content of that unit. The days of class that we would use VR were really exciting because they felt like field trips to the location that we were learning about. We were also able to use VR for science. My class used VR when we were learning about cells and all the different parts. It was so much better than using a picture because you could see all the angles of the inside of a cell and everything was moving, just as it would be in real life. The VR lessons were extremely memorable and a very fun experience for the classroom. ”
— Julia Melville SCJ ‘21, Notre Dame '25
“Our VR trips throughout middle school were such a beneficial experience; they really helped me to conceptualize our lessons. One of my favorite trips was when we visited the Hagia Sophia while learning about the Byzantine Empire. While we talked about Byzantine architecture in class, actually being able to look around and experience being there helped me truly understand what we had learned, like the domes and calligraphy. Another particularly memorable trip was when we read an excerpt from Into Thin Air By John Krakauer, and Mrs. Cohen set up a VR trip to Mount Everest. There is something about being able to turn your head around and see the mountain from 360 degrees that is so valuable- when re-reading the story in class, I was able to visualize the characters on the mountain. Not only did VR help with conceptualization but it was also so much more engaging when we went on our VR trips, and every student in our class remembered many more details about the locations. I am so glad that our class had the opportunity to use VR during our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade years. ”
— Ava Almand SCJ ‘20, Notre Dame ‘25
“Virtual Reality was very important and useful during my years of junior high. VR allows us to see parts of the world that we will not ever be able to see again and see places in the world that we may not get to travel to and see. Pictures online are great, however compared to VR, it is nothing. In VR we are able to see everything just by turning around in our chair or at our desk. We are not limited to a 2 dimensional photo, instead we have the ability to see in a 3 dimensional photo allowing us to truly be in the picture. This is a very useful tool in schools because we can learn more about a place and how it has evolved over the course of many years. One VR trip I can remember was to The Western Wall in Jerusalem. This was such a cool experience because many people will not get the chance to go and experience the wall in person. This is also extremely helpful when we are taking tests and we are able to visualize exactly where we are at the point in time. ”
