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New Traditions Around the Block: Roary Recognition

By Alexandra Wong, St. Agnes Academy, School Buzz Reporter | November 27, 2023

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Ms. Sharon Gehbauer ’89 and Roary posing outside Ms. Gehbauer’s classroom for a picture.

St. Agnes is chock-full of fun and memorable traditions that grace a student’s four years at the school—Veritas Vacation Day, Cultural Pageant, International Food Fest, and more. Many are long-standing and have been around so long they are recorded in the school archives on crinkled, yellowed paper. These traditions are memorable parts of a student’s time at St. Agnes, and continue to bond alumni from years past. But even with these time-honored customs, St. Agnes continues to develop new and exciting experiences for classes to experience, like the recent Dominican Day of Study Panels introduced this year by the Theology department.

In this spirit, St. Agnes’ Student Council introduced something fun of their own this October: Roary Recognition! A new facet of Student Council’s Faculty and Staff Committee, Roary Recognition is a monthly event that recognizes a teacher or staff member for their outstanding work in the past month. This person is voted on by the whole of Student Council and once chosen, will then get a surprise visit from Roary the Tiger—the St. Agnes’ mascot.

Roary in Ms. Caitlin Campbell’s classroom for the Roary Recognition mini party and celebration.

Roary will come at the end of the chosen teacher’s class, bearing gifts and everything necessary to have a mini party with this teacher and their students. The first teacher recognized was Ms. Caitlin Campbell, one of St. Agnes’ math teachers. Roary came to visit her class at the end of her first-period class last month, bustling into her classroom beholding a gift basket, treats, bubbles, and music for her class to celebrate and commemorate Ms. Campbell being voted for her work. She was chosen for the October cycle of Roary Recognition, and most recently, they celebrated the next teacher for the November cycle—Ms. Sharon Gehbauer ’89. Ms. Gehbauer, who teaches English at St. Agnes, was visited by Roary at the end of her second-period class with gifts and a mini party.

The December voting cycle for the next Roary Recognition opens up soon, and St. Agnes cannot wait to see which teacher will close out the year!