Carving Your La Salle Masterpiece

At the end of the hallway lined with partially carved blocks of marble, a masterpiece towered over a sea of frenzied tourists. Representing order amidst the chaos with her vibrant scarf tied to a long metal stick that bobbed in the air, the tour guide escorted our group through the dense crowd. Upon approaching the statue, I was immediately captivated by its beauty and grandeur as she uttered, “This is the David, Michelangelo’s celebrated Renaissance masterpiece.”

After marveling at Michelangelo’s creations throughout Italy, I itched to know what occupied his mind as he commenced a fresh piece and pursued its completion. I discovered that juxtaposed with the profoundly intricate nature of his works, Michelangelo simply declared, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set it free.”

Whenever I settle down to write and find myself staring at a bare sheet of paper or when I contemplate my future, I envision Michelangelo gazing at a chunk of marble in his workshop, recognizing its potential, and aching to liberate the angel waiting patiently inside. Like Michelangelo and David, we are all facing giants. We stand before massive, uncarved blocks: our lives.

La Salle Academy provides what we need to begin sculpting our futures and shapes us into works of art from all angles. La Salle students excel not only in the classroom, but also in sports, clubs and activities, theatre and the arts, and community service programs through Campus Ministry. Our school gives us an education that extends far beyond the realm of academics and makes so many incredible opportunities available to us.

As we embark on the second semester of this school year, my advice is to take full advantage of everything La Salle has to offer. Do not be afraid to try activities that are unfamiliar and different; you might discover a passion for something you never imagined! Join a new club, audition for a play, try out for a sports team, apply for a mission trip, or go on a Kairos retreat if you are a junior or senior. At La Salle, we are surrounded by passionate, dedicated teachers and students in a truly unique community that is a masterpiece in itself, and I encourage you to become more intricately involved in it.

Like the unfinished sculptures leading up to the David, our lives and our La Salle stories are yet to be fully shaped. They are not currently the detailed piece at the end of the hallway, but we should be deeply proud of what we have carved thus far. Continue to make the most of your time at La Salle, and appreciate and embrace the abundant opportunities we have here. At the end of your four years at La Salle, what will your masterpiece look like? Take it all in, and let your La Salle experience help free your angel and further mold you into a masterpiece.