Bethlehem Catholic students are settling into the second quarter and looking ahead to Christmas break – making it ironic that the first snow days of the year came around less than two weeks after the quarter had begun. The weather interrupted an in-school retreat and the final day of Thanksgiving food drive collections; however, charitable students were not deterred. Efforts will be increased to collect food and other necessary items for less fortunate residents of the area before Christmas.

Luckily for many students, the snow didn’t cause a problem for the Nov. 16-18 Encounter Retreat. Staffed by seniors who have been on the retreat in years prior, Encounter offers upperclassmen the opportunity to relax and refocus on their faith, their relationships with others, and how they face life every day. Abigail Roberts, a junior who went on the retreat for the first time this year, said that despite being skeptical at first she was “surprised ... at how supported I was,” and described the team as “so incredibly amazing.” Abigail echoed the opinion of dozens of “retreatants” that if students have the chance to go on Encounter, they most definitely should.

BeCa’s fall sports kicked off the year to a good start; the football team has made it to state semifinals yet again with its victory over Pottsgrove, 58-20. Tennis star Brenna Magliochetti won second in the state and led the tennis team to a District 11 gold medal. Girls soccer made it to the first round of districts before being narrowly defeated by Palisades, and the field hockey team had its second successful year in a row, powering through injuries and setbacks all the way to district semi-finals. Girls volleyball qualified for districts as well, although the team didn’t make it past the quarterfinals.

Students are looking forward to cheering at Lady Hawks basketball games, and the wrestling team is likely to be among the state’s best once again.

Bethlehem Catholic Theater has had a successful month in November. The fall drama, “The Diviners,” starred Colin Core (sophomore) as Buddy Layman and Robert Henry (senior) as C.C. Showers. Colin said that the show and time spent with his fellow cast members contributed to “one of the greatest memories I’ll ever have.” He also called the show spectacular, which cannot be argued with after the Nov. 9 to 11 success of BeCa’s first non-comedy in at least four years.

Auditions for the spring musical, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” have already occurred and the cast list can be found on the BeCa Theater Facebook or Twitter.

2018-19 might prove to be a year of new clubs and activities, as the fall has already seen the birth of multiple student-led groups of all varieties. These range from the Cast-Ons, a knitting and crocheting club founded by juniors Abigail Roberts and Ellie Freiss, to the Strategy and Tactics club, whose purpose is to play and discuss popular board games and is run by Mark Wladyslawski. Additionally, Matthew Jones is reviving the Chess Club and rumor has it that a Ski Club will be starting this winter.

The fall of 2018 has shown that, as usual, it’s a great day to be a Golden Hawk. One column is nowhere near enough to cover all that is happening, so keep your eyes peeled and you’ll surely see BeCa in the news again soon.