Congé is a 200 year-old Sacred Heart tradition celebrated in Sacred Heart network schools across the world. Congé, meaning “a period of rest” or “farewell” in French, is a surprise day for students and faculty to relax and enjoy themselves doing various activities off campus. While the many Sacred Heart schools recognize Congé in different ways, they all share the same community-building themes of anticipation, excitement, and fun.
“I liked Congé a lot and I think it was way better than last year,” sophomore Freya Sweeney. “I loved seeing the animals, eating the ice cream, and participating in the pep rally.”
The first Congés were planned by the sisters at Sacred Heart boarding schools for girls to have fun. While Congé was originally just a day for celebration, it is now a multifaceted community event filled with a chance to try new things and an opportunity for seniors to take a leadership role in planning school activities.
The Student Activity Coordinators, Anthony Clemons and Lauren O’Donnell helped the senior student council plan the date, plan the surprise events, and schedule. Students usually spend the weeks leading up to Congé in suspense, eager to find out when it will happen.
“This was my first Congé and it was very surprising and very fun,” freshman Avery Spolin. “I kinda forgot that it was going to happen so it was a very pleasant surprise, especially on a Monday morning.”
This year’s Congé took place on Mar. 24, much earlier than the previous Congés that have taken place in April and May. The day began with a surprise video that A-period teachers showed to their classes to set the stage for the rest of the events. Seniors in monkey costumes ran down the hall screaming, “It’s Congé” to build the excitement.
Students piled onto buses and made their way to the Oakland Zoo to see the animals and enjoy the day off from schoolwork. Some cool animals students were greeted by include giraffes, bison, and monkeys.
“I loved Congé this year, but I didn’t actually leave from the front of the zoo because my job was to make sure kids weren’t running for the buses,” history teacher Jason Enevoldson said. “I didn’t get to enjoy the pep rally because my tennis team had a match in Danville.”
For lunch students were bussed back to the Pine-Octavia campus for an In-N-Out animal-style lunch to fit the theme of “zoo”. After that, the Student Activity Coordinators hosted a pep rally that pitted grades against each other in games like tug-of-war and dodgeball.
“My dream Congé would be Six Flags or Great America,” Sweeney said. “Best Congé ever!”
