#SHESAHOUND - No Way to Pinpoint what I loved most about Notre Dame

My parents are Hounds.  My two older brothers are Hounds.  I have aunts, uncles and cousins who are also Hounds.  For the majority of my childhood, I couldn’t wait to be a Hound too.  My name is ANDREA HARAZNY (nee Creurer).  I grew up in Weyburn, SK and although Notre Dame was only 45 minutes away, I was lucky to have attended as a boarding student and lived in Edith Hall.  I attended grades 10, 11, 12 and graduated with the class of ‘98.

People often ask and wonder – why Notre Dame?  I find great difficulty in answering this question because I wonder if they have time to “listen” to my answer.  This small prairie campus packs so much into every day that there is no way to pinpoint what I loved most about it.  As I reminisce, I can’t stop grinning:

Registration Day was held outdoors on Main Street where we constructed our class timetable using paper and pencil while crossing our fingers that the rain clouds above didn’t let loose.  Next, we were getting settled into our dorm rooms and meeting the strangers we would be living with for the duration of the year.  Our school days started with assembly at Varsity and then we moved between classes held in Carr Hall, McCusker, and Kenny Hall.  

Rodeo Day brought out the blue-Gunners, green-Choppers, orange-Badgers and maroon-Marauders, who battled relentlessly for house points.  Students shared many hours (eating and visiting) in Varsity where meals like grilled cheese and tomato soup became a lunch favorite and 9 pm snacks meant toast and cereal to end the day.  We settled into a daily routine and treks to the post office had us all hoping to see a “parcel slip” that meant picking up a care-package with goodies sent from home.  

Dorm life consisted of curfew, dorm jobs, workouts and sometimes even work-list.  Roommates became sisters and evenings were spent sharing stories and giggling.  This usually led to trying to get away with homework, studying and/or writing papers after “lights out”.  There were special events to attend like the: Terry Fox run, Christmas Banquet (singing the 12 days of Christmas), Shacks and Mentor groups, Street Sweep, and Allapodreda weekend to display as much of the year as we could.  

There were choral shows and drama productions.  There were sports, sports, and more sports.  We never seemed to tire of practicing, playing or watching sports.  Red and white nights were a blast but travelling with your team was a highlight.  Cheese wagons were the norm with the occasional trip on a stagecoach bus or flights if you were lucky.

There were grade 11 and grade 12 camping trips that were so memorable.  The social committee and SRC (student representative council) worked tirelessly to hold dances and student events to keep us busy. Exams came quickly and it was a mad scramble to fit in everything before the end of the year.  Sports Awards, Academic Awards and then goodbyes (with tears) on the pad.  Graduation was bittersweet marking an ending and a beginning.

I laugh out loud as I think back to how difficult it was to compose your grade 12 graduation message for the yearbook.  We were constantly trying to fit in as many acronyms, initials, and secret messages into the smallest print space possible.  It makes me think that maybe this is a good way for me to sum up Notre Dame: I had three short years to fit it “ALL” in and there is not one single moment that defines me (or you) as a Hound but the entire experience shapes us into who we are today! 

St. Augustine Church and the Tower of God are still an important part of campus.  I remember how the bells rang daily while I attended high school here and I have since moved back to Wilcox and they are still ringing.  In fact, they are ringing now… perhaps it’s time to get ready for bed – tomorrow will be another full day!