1. Uniforms cut your morning routine in half.
Khaki pants all day every day. Polos in the spring and fall, and sweaters in the winter. Make sure they're tucked in and don't have any zippers. Boat shoes tied and laced up, and no patterned sweaters and absolutely no fleece EVER. Every morning was the same. You always knew what to wear and when you tried to cut the rules- you would always get caught. No exceptions.
2. You were a bible GENIUS.
New testament? The disciples? You knew it all and could recite bible passages to your public school friends, whether they wanted to hear it, or not. Certain bible verses stuck with you and you knew all ten commandments- in order!
3. You prayed to St. Anthony when you lost something.
Lost and found box? No such thing. St. Anthony was always a go to. A staple in any Catholic student's life; and this prayer usually ending up finding that item that you misplaced. (thanks St. Anthony!)
4. School Pride is Forever.
Those school colors will always and forever be apart of you. You've participated in almost all the clubs and activities, and collected over 500 t-shirts from each and every one. You'll end up keeping all of the shirts because you were apart of something great, nor would you ever dream of getting rid of them.
5. You knew EVERYONE in your grade.
Small class sizes call for close knit grades. With this being said, you know everyone and their left cousin. See Dave over there? His dad's name is John; he is an oral surgeon, and Dave has 3 cousins and 4 siblings. He's an aquarius and he's Jewish, but don't tell Father.
6. You don't know how to dress for college.
You can wear sweats here? And hats? Khaki isn't required? This new found freedom is great, but also really scary. Where else am I suppose to wear my boat shoes and loafers? There are no uniform checks and sweatshirts replace sweaters. Much more casual, a lot less Catholic.
7. You never started class without a Prayer.
This was your last minute chance to finish the homework you didn't do the night before. On a more serious note, this was your chance to breathe and pray that you studied enough for the test you forgot about-until just now.
8. Your public school friends always asked too many questions.
What do you mean you don't have nuns? Don't they have rulers? Church everyday? How do I get to heaven? What is purgatory? You answered the SAME questions over and over and told them that your school was different (and better) than theirs.
9. Your school lunches were AMAZING.
Your public school friends always complained about their PB&J while you're always dining in style. Soda, pizza and those breadstick Friday's during lent were always your favorite. To get the best variety of food, you HAD to get there early, and you never did because you were always cramming for an exam that you were going to ace anyway.
10. Dress down days were a national holiday.
Pay a dollar to wear JEANS?!? (generously fitting jeans of course!) Your money went to a charity cause, but it was the fact that you weren't decked out in khaki for one day that made your dollar donation worth it. Leggings and yoga pants were a no go, but you always wore them on dress down days and ALWAYS got caught.
If you didn't have these experiences, you know you wouldn't be where you are without them. Thank God for Catholic school. I mean thank goodness!