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Chapter 7: Life at St Michael’s
1. ORDER OF THE DAY
Daily: 6:30 a.m. Rise 6:50 a.m. Flag Salute 7:00 a.m. Holy Mass and Morning Prayers 8:00 a.m. Breakfast and Room Inspection 8:30 a.m. Morning Classes and Study 10:55 p.m. Angelus and Lunch 11:30 p.m. Afternoon Classes 2:30 p.m. Afternoon Free Time (Sports; Study) 5:30 p.m. Supper 6:00 p.m. Recreation and Evening Study 8:00 p.m. Night Prayers and Holy Hour; Confession available 8:45 p.m. Chores 9:00 p.m. Evening Study Period 10:00 p.m. Lights out Sunday Evening: 7:00 –
7:30 p.m.Return to school (arranging of beds, etc.) 7:30 p.m. All-school Meeting 8:00 p.m. Night Prayers and Holy Hour; Confession available 9:00 p.m. Study 10:00 p.m. Lights out
2. A TYPICAL SCHOOL DAY AT ST. MICHAEL’S
The following description of the day illustrates how the principles of St. Michael’s Prep are put into practice in the boarding school environment.Students rise at 6:30 and, when ready, go outside, say a pledge to both the flag and the cross, then head over to the church for the Mass and Morning Offering. Once finished in the church, the students go to the refectory to eat their breakfast, in silence. After the prayer before the meal, students are free to stay and eat or to go to their rooms to tidy up and prepare for classes.
In the dorms, students may prepare their rooms for its inspection, prepare for class, or talk among themselves. At 8:20 a bell rings, warning the students that they need to be in class or sitting at their desks studying in five minutes. From this time until 10:50, students are expected either to be in class or to be in quiet study in their rooms.
At 10:55, the students gather in the church for the Angelus, then go back to the refectory for lunch. Unlike breakfast, conversation is permitted and all are dismissed from lunch together. After lunch, students return to their classes until 2:30.
After classes until 5:30 there is time which may be spent studying, exercising and recreating, practicing sports, or making phone calls on the phone provided by the school.
Towards the end of free time, students may take showers and need to be back in their uniforms for dinner at 5:30.
For those students who do not have class or study detention, there is another free time from 6:00 until 6:50 which may be spent studying, exercising and recreating, playing sports, or making phone calls. Those who are in study detention must spend the time studying at their desks.
At 8:00 the students return to the church to conclude their day with Night Prayers and Holy Hour. During this time students say prayers in common with the priests and have time for silent prayer and/or confession.
At 8:40 students return from Holy Hour and do their room jobs. From 9:00 until 10:00 there is a mandatory study period during which all students are expected to be studying at their desks. Showers may not be taken during this time.[Return to Table of Contents]
3. STUDENT RESIDENCE PRIVACY
The Student Residence should remain private. Parents, teachers, alumni and visitors may not enter the student residence at any time. This restriction extends also to the stairs, except when on business in the Headmaster’s office.To assure the greatest possible privacy and an atmosphere conducive to study, no student is allowed at any time to visit the rooms of his fellow students. This includes extended standing at doors or windows, or talking across the hallway or out of windows. Students are not to be called out of their rooms or disturbed from their studies.[Return to Table of Contents]
4. MUSIC
All students may listen to music in their rooms, whether on ipods or cd players or computers, as long as headphones are used so that the music is not audible to others lest they be disturbed in their studies. Ipods and cd players must not be seen outside student rooms. All students must always use earphones or headphones, even during recreation. Great discretion on the part of the student should be used in selecting the type of music. This is done according to the guidelines of the administration.The playing of musical instruments is warmly encouraged. However, this is permitted in the hallways, upstairs classroom, and downstairs only, and not in student dorms, for the same reason as before. If instruments are played inside student rooms, they will be confiscated until the end of the week. [Return to Table of Contents]
5. TELEPHONE CALLS
The School supplies a phone for student use during recreation periods, provided the student has purchased the necessary phone card. Students who possess cell phones may bring them to school and store them in the school office. They are then picked up, distributed nightly at 6:00 by the roomleaders, and returned at 9:45. Charging the cell phone is the responsibility of the student during that time.Unauthorized use of cell phones outside these times, or during this period while at Holy Hour or class, will result in the confiscation of the cell phone for the duration of a semester. [Return to Table of Contents]
6. MAIL
As a rule of thumb, parents should communicate with their son by mail. Written messages provide the specificity and clarity that a quick phone message cannot. When sending mail to the students, please clearly indicate the name and address of the sender as well as the receiver. [Return to Table of Contents]
7. SCHOOL MAINTENANCE
Each room is assigned a specific maintenance job that is performed by the students and roomleader in that room. The care and consistency of this work does contribute to a student’s conduct grade. [Return to Table of Contents]
8. SEMINARIANS AND PRIESTS
St. Michael’s Prep prepares high school students for college. St. Michael’s Abbey prepares college age or older seminarians for the Norbertine priesthood. Likewise, the Abbey has a residence for priests. The Prep School and the Abbey have different schedules. Each group respects the obligations and schedule of the other. Students are not to enter either the House of Formation or the Abbey building. [Return to Table of Contents]