Jake Sorensen wonders if recent weather-related cancellations equate to declining interest in the March for Life
It was the 21st of January. Everyone was thrilled with their snow days. It was just awesome to have a five day, and later, six day weekend. However, the weather had particularly unfavorable consequences. By mid-day, an email from Mr. Haynie, theology teacher, appeared in everyone’s inbox, bearing words that brought instantaneous grief: Malvern March for life Trip CANCELLED. Once again, we’ve been stopped by forces out of our control, and, once again, all the hype leading up to it was shattered.
I, for one, am particularly peeved by this. When I had done it in my Freshman year, it was an awesome experience. There were so many people there, with many of them only a few years older than me. People were smiling and laughing, knowing that this was an event they’d remember for their lives. I can’t recall of anybody there with a dower expression on their face, even though the cause is quite serious. The March really was less of a protest and more of a sign, a sign that Americans, young and old, are still interested in the pro-life cause.
Right now, I want to discuss why it’s still important for our school to keep marchin’ on. We shouldn’t let these past two years affect us. Though the signup numbers tend to fluctuate (this year in particular was around 50), according to Mr. DiDomenico, I felt that the main source of signups came from the Junior and Senior classes. That’s probably due to the Freshmen and Sophomores not being too familiar with the school in general, let alone the march. It doesn’t matter that the odds may seem against us sometimes; in fact, it should act as encouragement for our efforts.
One of the main reasons why we need to continue the March is to preserve our Catholic identity. The March for Life is a modern fight over a modern issue. If there was ANY way to truly show what a contemporary Catholic must be doing in America, it would be this. Malvern Prep has always been a Catholic school, and, since we clearly have the means for it, we shouldn’t give up an opportunity to remind ourselves of where we’ve come from.
Another reason why we shouldn’t give up the March is because of it’s affect on those who participate in it. Old St. Augustine’s and Urban Challenge both had one similar secondary goal: to build camaraderie, one of our school’s strong suits. The March for Life has similar goals, too; Malvernians there are thrown into an environment to do a service for those who can’t help themselves.
I really don’t believe that the March is going to be neglected Malvern. I’m sure that our theology department is ready each and every year to make the trip. I’m just hoping that there’ll be underclassmen ready for it to. As Mr. Boyce, an active proponent of the march, says, “The March has had its best success when there was a student advocate.” It’ll be a great day when a Malvernian takes up the torch and leads his brothers through Washington. I can’t wait for it.
