A MONARCH’S LIFE Junior Lauren Lee and her shadow, Cloey Barfield, end Barfield’s shadow day with bright smiles. They were paired together through Mater Dei’s shadow system for their shared interest in choir and AP/Honors courses. Lee expresses her enjoyment in showing Barfield around campus. “My favorite part about hosting Cloey as a shadow was being able to show her all of the unique and interesting opportunities that Mater Dei has to offer,” Lee said. Photo by Ava Gomez.

Searching for the perfect high school can be overwhelming. There are so many classes and activities presented to middle school students that it can be difficult to figure out the next step in secondary education. However, Mater Dei’s Shadow Days are a helpful and fun way for prospective Monarchs to get a feel for campus life.

When a prospective student is interested in Mater Dei, their family can contact the Admissions Department and schedule a school day in which their child can “shadow” a current Mater Dei student and walk a day in the life of a Monarch. Director of Admissions Jennifer Hornbuckle ‘03 explains the process by which prospective students can apply for a shadow day.

“For a prospective student who’s interested in Mater Dei, they would go to our website and under admissions click visit Mater Dei, they’ll see the ‘Shadow a Monarch’ button,” Hornbuckle said. “They basically fill out an inquiry form that tells us a little bit about themselves so we can get a better understanding of what they’re interested in, what they want to see at Mater Dei, and what their favorite subjects are. We ask them [about] the major area or one thing that they want to see, and we usually try to pair them with a student who is in that program or sport and then if they know someone, they [select] that person that they know [to shadow].”

Hornbuckle elaborates on how Mater Dei has made Shadow Days a friendly and welcoming experience.

“It’s been around for a long time, but each year we try to evolve it to something new and a better experience for the student,” Hornbuckle said. “[It’s] engaging, having a check in and a welcome. The shadow automatically gets lunch from Mater Dei and in addition to that, cookies. They have a little goodie bag when they go home that includes the brochure, and a pen and some other Mater Dei [swag]. And they get a tour [of our campus].”

Junior Fionan Cervenak remembers when he shadowed Mater Dei as a seventh grader. As soon as he stepped onto campus, he instantly knew that Mater Dei was the right fit for him.

“I shadowed in seventh grade and knew immediately that it was going to be the place for me,” Cervenak said. “I felt so welcomed and it felt like a community. I enjoyed seeing what high school was like because it gave me insight into the change you experience from middle school into high school.”

Senior Giana Garcia recalls the enjoyable experience of shadowing at Mater Dei when she was in middle school. She immediately felt at home within the Monarch community.

“I shadowed at Mater Dei and had the most wonderful experience!” Garcia said. “All of the students and teachers were so friendly and the environment was so welcoming. From experiencing fun classes and meeting new friends, I found the school I wanted to [attend].”

Students willing to give back to Mater Dei can fill out interest forms on the Mater Dei website in the hopes that they will be chosen to host a shadow. Some students are matched to shadows by their extracurricular activities or by being recommended by teachers or coaches. Others encourage family members or friends to shadow them. Last year, Cervenak had the opportunity to host his triplet brothers as his shadows.

“[Hosting my brothers as shadows] was a very special experience,” Cervenak said. “I wouldn’t say many people have three brothers [as well as] the opportunity to show them around their school and their daily life. It was also a great bonding experience because I was able to provide them with information about the homework load and the material Mater Dei has to offer students.”

Garcia also hosted her brother as a shadow, and enjoyed showing him around Mater Dei and giving him insight into the life of a Monarch.

“Hosting my brother was super fun, as he finally got to see a day in my life at Mater Dei,” Garcia said. “I got to show him my classes, lunch, and [he met] all my friends. He enjoyed it so much and hopefully will be coming to Mater Dei next year!”

Overall, shadow days are an excellent opportunity for prospective and current Monarchs alike to embrace the community of Mater Dei. Garcia hopes that prospective students who shadow Mater Dei embrace the welcoming community and take advantage of the opportunities provided.

“I hope they go into a shadow day with an open mind and experience what Mater Dei has to offer,” Garcia said. “This school has tons of amazing opportunities and is such an inviting environment as well.”