C.R.E.W. helps foster the growth of relationships among students

Every day, students spend part of their morning in a program personal to McNicholas called C.R.E.W. Each student is assigned to a mentor teacher along with 10-15 other students. This is the third year this program has found a place in students’ schedules.

Students start in a C.R.E.W. specific to freshmen, which they graduate from and move into a new one mixed with sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students stay in this group for the rest of their time at McNicholas.

A new addition was the flights – 6 C.R.E.W.’s (four freshmen, two upperclassmen) that meet every other week under an assigned dean to help create different relationships that go beyond the 15 students and their mentor teacher.

“The whole goal of C.R.E.W. is to help students build happy, healthy, holy relationships,” Student Culture Coordinator, History Teacher, and Varsity Football Coach Todd Naumann said.

*Sophomores Megan Longmore and Heather Kraemer on Monday, September 19, 2022 in Ms. Indigo Hudepohl’s C.R.E.W. They are dressed up as Adam Sandler for Homecoming Spirit Week.*

Throughout the year, C.R.E.W. offers activities that help foster the growth of relationships and give students a break from academics. These include icebreakers, the Eraser Toss Tournament, Spike Ball Tournament, cup stacking, card games, Door Decorating Contests, and various other activities.

“Academics are vital and important, but I think there’s more to the overall experience of high school than just studying,” Director of Facilities, Senior Capstone Program Director, and Head Football Coach Michael Orlando said. “Even if it’s just 15 minutes a day, it’s a nice little getaway.”

There are four core virtues – courage, resilience, enthusiasm, and wisdom. These virtues help answer the three focal points of the C.R.E.W. program – the what, the how, and the why.

“What we’re trying to do is build those relationships; how we’re trying to do it is through courage, resilience, enthusiasm, and wisdom; why we’re doing it is to help one another strive to attain full stature in Christ,” Naumann said.

Through these multiple features of C.R.E.W., students should feel or begin to feel support and encouragement during their time at McNicholas.

“It is the heart of the school,” Orlando said. “A place where they can go and hopefully connect with their peers.”