Congé Land: A Sweet Surprise before Spring Break

On March 10th, Duchesne celebrated the long-awaited occasion, Congé! This year the event was themed Candy Land and named Congé Land where students and faculty partook in an array of entertaining activities and enjoyed a stress-free day before leaving for Spring Break.

Every year Duchesne’s Congé Committee, made up of seniors, plans one of the most anticipated days of the school year, Congé (kon-zhay)! This French word translates to “leave-taking” and the event is a beloved Sacred Heart School tradition for many reasons. The first being, Congé is a surprise for both students and faculty where classes, assignments, and even major tests are cancelled for the day. In addition, the day is filled with different activities that follow the year’s different theme. Senior Victoria Vasquez chose to be on the Congé Committee, saying, “Being a senior with the opportunity of planning this big event was such a special experience because I got to bond with my other classmates while organizing my last ever Congé.”

Lower School students drawing with chalk on the White House side walk. (Photo: Julia Harfenist)

Head of School Patricia Swenson revealed the special announcement after a special prayer service that honored her retirement as Head of School for Duchesne for 11 years and her overall career concluded. The entire school was on the White House lawn when she revealed it was Congé which caused many screams of excitement and shock. Simultaneously, members of the Congé Committee used confetti cannons to add to the surprise and released a large banner on top of the Lower School Library that read “Congé!” 

Midde School and Upper School students painting their rocks after they cleaned and prepared them for decoration. (Photo: Julia Harfenist)

The first Congé activity was an all-school fashion show. Girls of all grade levels worked together to create stylish dresses and accessories for a chosen model. This selected model (usually a Lower School student) then strutted down the gym runway with the created outfit. This activity has been a long-standing tradition celebrated each Congé because the students deeply enjoy designing the dresses and working with their older Sacred Heart sisters. 

After the fashion show, students split up to participate in the different prepared activities. In the theatre, the Congé committee projected Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and set up an arts and crafts station in the Jones Gallery. Students participated in a service project by decorating cards for senior citizens/assisted living residents. Also, students got their hands messy while painting rocks for a rock garden outside the Duchesne garage. Across campus, there was a petting zoo available for students and inflatable bounce houses on the Berner Park field for students to play on. Moreover, face painting, sidewalk art, giant jenga, karaoke, and candy baskets all contributed to making Congé Land a memorable afternoon.

From left to right: Echo Malinowski Cunningham, Molly Day, Carmon Colon, and Megan Toussaint watching their friends attempt to dunk students and teachers in the afternoon. (Photo: Julia Harfenist)

The dunk tank was one of the most thrilling activities. Many Congé Committee Seniors sacrificed themselves and sat in the dunk tank that was filled with cold war. Additionally, Upper School Dean Tatum DiSorbo, Upper School Head Dr. Donald Cramp, and Head of School Patricia Swenson sat in the dunk tank and got dunked for the girls’ enjoyment. Many girls lined up to have the opportunity to launch softballs at the target in hopes of dunking their friends and Duchesne community members. 

Upper School Dean Tatum DiSorbo preparing herself to be dunked as students line themselves up to participate in the game. (Photo: Julia Harfenist)

From the Petite Hearts (three-year-old students) to the Seniors, the whole school participated in Congé Land. Congé is a wonderful example of the fourth Sacred Heart goal which is “building of community as a Christian value”. Congé encourages the members of the community to come together, support each other, and enjoy one another’s company. When the day concluded at 3:45 p.m., students and faculty were ready to head into Spring Break with positive energy because of Congé Land’s success.