MANASSAS SETON SCHOOL
Contest winners to see pope
Students from Manassas high school win 15 tickets to the April 17 Papal Mass
with an original and creative video that welcomes Benedict XVI to Washington.
Five fresh-faced teens from Seton School faced a mini media blitz last
Thursday when it was announced that they had won 15 tickets to see Pope
Benedict XVI at Nationals Stadium April 17.
Olivia Aveni, Mimi Myers, Brian Nagurny, Kristie Ostrich and Libby Wittman comprised
one of the three groups of winners of an original video contest sponsored by
the Archdiocese of Washington. According to the archdiocesan Web site, the goal
of the contest was for teens to submit two-minute original videos welcoming the
pope to Washington. At a little over a minute long, the video created by the
students from the Manassas school depicts them running door-to-door around the
neighborhood spreading the news about the pope’s trip to the capital city.
The video truly was an original work; it was written, filmed, produced, directed
and edited solely by the teens. Nagurny composed and accompanied the original
song, which Myers sang. Wittman helped with the lyrics, as well as produced and
directed the short piece. Aveni and Ostrich helped film, write and act. All students
are juniors except for Ostrich, a freshman.
The competition was open to groups of Catholic youths — of five or more — in
grades K-12 in the Archdiocese of Washington, the Archdiocese of Baltimore and
the Diocese of Arlington. Other winners of the contest, which had a total of
47 entries, included youths from Southern Maryland Catholic Elementary Schools
and St. Rose of Lima “Children Love Christ Choir” in Gaithersburg,
Md. Each group was awarded tickets to the Papal Mass, as well as the opportunity
to have their videos shown during the pre-Mass program at the stadium.
Other finalists from the Arlington Diocese included groups of youths from St.
Michael Parish in Annandale, St. John the Evangelist Parish in Warrenton, St.
Patrick Parish in Fredericksburg and St. Mary Parish in Alexandria.
Eight media professionals judged the contest on enthusiasm, creativity and clarity
of message.
Seton Director Anne Carroll surprised the five winners with the announcement
that they had won during their lunch period, and several media outlets were on-hand
to capture their reactions.
“They were totally surprised,” said Eileen Akers, who works in the
school’s front office. As cameras rolled and snapped, the teens gave interviews
while their peers crowded around.
“I was in shock,” said Myers. “It didn’t even click.”
Now it has, though, and she is nothing but excited.
“Seeing the pope — it’s going to be such a huge moment in my
life,” she said. “He’s got a celebrity factor to him.”
With 15 tickets total, each student will receive three — and are faced
with the difficult decision of whom to take.
“I want to bring my best friends, but I don’t want to leave my mom
and dad hanging,” Myers said.
Gathered on the edge of the crowd were several of the teens’ mothers,
all proud of their children.
“It means a lot,” said Myers’ mother, Mary. “This gives
us a chance to welcome the Holy Father personally. It’s a tremendous honor.”
“It’s not every day the Successor of Peter comes to America,” said
Wittman’s mother, Betty. “We’re glad to be a part of it.”
The girls, giggling and radiant, were adamant that seeing the pope was even a
bigger deal than seeing Brad Pitt.
“He’s the most important man in the Church — in the world,” Aveni
said.
The reaction of the students “shows the love for the pope which is one
of the things we try to foster here at Seton,” Carroll said. She added
that the teens exemplify enthusiasm and hard work to their peers.
“They are definitely school leaders,” Carroll said. “I’m
very proud of them.”
Gretchen R. Crowe can be reached at gcrowe@catholicherald.com.
