The 4 Weirdest Things That Happened In Catholic High School | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The 4 Weirdest Things That Happened In Catholic High School

"Fetus Friday" somehow became a recurring thing.

46
The 4 Weirdest Things That Happened In Catholic High School
DuBois Catholic

It's been two years since I've graduated from catholic high school in rural Pennsylvania. My graduating class had just over 40 people — this school was so tiny that the elementary school, middle school and high school were contained in the same building. Going to a school with such a wide age range, yet so few people made for a truly unforgettable experience. Here are some of the weirdest things that sometimes make me wonder if my education was real or a dream:

1. Odd forms of rebellion.

High school is a strange time for a lot of people, there's no getting around that. Some people are greasy, most people are angry and flailing around, trying to figure things out. Sometimes students will lash out and get themselves into a bit of trouble. One of the most creative (and disrespectful) forms of rebellion at my school happened when I was in middle school and the person who got into hot water was in high school. Because of the age difference, I didn't witness any of this firsthand, but I heard about it more times than I can count.

So, from my understanding, a high school kid attended the weekly Mass ceremony. Pretty typical. When it came time for him to receive the Eucharist, things get tricky. He took the host, slipped in into the sleeve of his sweater (mandatory part of the dress code on Mass days), and mimed eating the host. Once lunch time rolled around, it was nacho day (yay!), but this boy decided he didn't have enough tortilla chips or something, so he took the smuggled Eucharist, dipped it in nacho cheese (boo!) and ate it. The body of Jesus Christ. Covered in cheese. Needless to say, teachers were shocked, parents were appalled, etc. The student got suspended for his actions.

2. Liturgical Dance.

As mentioned in the previous point, my school had weekly Mass services that were mandatory for students who were part of the Catholic faith. During Advent, the liturgical dance club dresses up in black leotards and does an interpretative dance down the aisles and on the stage during Mass. Usually, they just take long, light strides and do some airy, elegant motions, but sometimes they would mime Jesus' death on the cross.

3. White Supremacist Headmaster.

In defense of my school, the man who was later discovered to be a white supremacist was only hired as the headmaster because he changed his name and fled from his home state where he was a well-known racist person. He did everything in his (white) power to get away from his past, but in the end, it caught up with him.

It turns out that this man has several books published that are filled with his white supremacist views. The cover of one of his books has a photograph of him resting a baseball bat on his shoulder as he stares forward. This bat-over-shoulder pose became a bit of a school-wide meme after he was fired, and there have been countless recreations of this infamous photo. In this same book, the man was quoted as saying, "Diversity is a weakness." Yikes.

Thankfully, he was fired after only two months at my school when his true identity was uncovered.

4. Rubber fetuses.

A controversial issue that the Catholic Church has been very outspoken about is abortion. Its opposition of abortion stems from the belief that all life is sacred. To drive home my teacher's belief that a fetus is a person and should be protected, this teacher somehow acquired a bulk order of one-inch rubber fetus models that were handed out to all of her students. I believe it was during pro-life week that this happened. She printed out cute little prayers and cut around the edges of the prayers with special scrapbook scissors. It was kind of nice. As usual, high schoolers ruined the nice thing.

Within a week of having these rubber fetuses, some people made paper clothes for them and glued the clothes directly onto the tiny bodies. They then kept a fully clothed fetus in the breast pocket of their button up shirt with the head just peeking out so it could see what was going on.

Other people had their fun by twisting the rubber fetus head around and around and throwing the fetuses, which, it turns out, bounce quite a bit.

Still other people discovered that these keepsakes work very well as erasers.

Somewhere along the line, the term "Fetus Friday" was coined, and for a while, everyone's fixation on these little rubber fetuses was amplified every Friday for some reason.

And even after all of this, I still ended up at a Catholic university that I happen to love very much. Go figure.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

14543
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2905
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1749
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments