While attending Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores, Moira Savidge’s opportunities to grow in her Catholic faith multiplied. She learned about the intersection of morality and science in the bioethics program, joined a Bible study and frequented the sacraments. “Confession used to scare me half to death and I just went today on the spur of the moment,” said Savidge.
Having opportunities to continue growing in her faith is one of the reasons the senior plans to attend the University of Notre Dame in Indiana on a U.S. Air Force scholarship. “The basilica is right on campus, there’s a priest in each dorm, there’s a chapel in each dorm, Confessions daily. I obviously want to continue being Catholic in college — it’s something I want to continue the rest of my life,” said Savidge. “(Notre Dame) gives me a great education, I get to practice my faith and I get to do it in the cold, and I love the cold.”
Savidge, the youngest of three children, grew up in a military family that moved around the country before settling in Virginia. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School in Woodbridge before going to John Paul the Great. In high school, she explored several passions, including writing, crew and volleyball. She was captain of the varsity tennis team for two years. “I absolutely love tennis,” said Savidge.
She also enjoyed her art classes and was asked to create a portrait of the Virgin Mary as part of the Marian-themed Year Two of the Diocesan Golden Jubilee. The painting is traveling from classroom to classroom at school. “At first I was hesitant, I didn’t know if I could handle the pressure of painting. I prayed about it and my mom encouraged me. So, I started painting,” she said. “It makes other people happy so I’m happy about that.”
Looking back on her time at John Paul the Great, Savidge is grateful for the kindness and collegiality of her fellow students, the house system that builds community and makes her feel like she goes to Hogwarts, and the bioethics program that formed her worldview. While attending Virginia Girls State, a summer program where high schoolers form mock governments, she was the only one who voted against an abortion bill. “I would not have been able to do that without JP, because I was very pressured. But I knew the truth and I knew what was good,” she said. “There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
Come fall, Savidge hopes to major in English and Spanish in the hopes of conversing with her maternal grandparents, who are Spanish and Mexican, in their native tongue. She’s also looking forward to being in the military, joining the ranks of her father, mother and sister, who currently serve or used to serve in the U.S. Army. “I truly want to serve my country because it’s the best country in the world,” she said.
