April 2024 Junior Irish News

3rd Annual Irish Easter Egg Hunt

The Alumni Association loved spending the day with all of our Junior Irish and alumni at the 3rd Annual Irish Easter Egg Hunt! With bounce houses, food trucks, Easter egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, and more, our guests had a blast!

Special thank you to our Sponsors who helped make this event a success! To stay up to date on all Junior Irish events, visit our Junior Irish Webpage!

Alternative Spring Break

Over Spring Break, 11 students, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Francisco, traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to participate in Alternative Spring Break. Every morning, the group served at Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, SC, where a dozen Trappist Monks live. The group began every morning in prayer and Mass with the monks and joined them again at lunchtime for noon prayers.

Students cleaned the Chapel, stained the wooden welcome center, disassembled old AC units, took apart an old chicken coop, painted a warehouse & barn, and performed other miscellaneous tasks.

Each night, students participated in a formation. This formation consisted of reflections on their daily service, their faith, meditative walks on the beach,

Student Spotlight: Diane Terriot '26

The Father Ryan community continues to grow daily, this time with the addition of exchange student Diane Terriot ‘26.

Diane’s boarding school, Saint-Denis International School in Loches, France, partners with Father Ryan to offer a student exchange program. Diane decided to join this program because she saw this new experience as a chance to travel to the United States again—last year, Diane participated in another exchange program in Macon, Georgia—while improving her English.

Diane has been welcomed to the Nashville and Father Ryan community by the Durden family, especially her host sister, Eilie Durden ’26.

From experiencing All-School Ash Wednesday Mass to visiting the Parthenon and Gatlinburg, Diane quickly grew to love her time in Nashville and at Father Ryan.

While those were some of her more unique experiences, Diane has also been taking a full schedule of classes. The sophomore has enjoyed all her classes, especially French II Honors with Mr. Sven Oelhafen and her AP European History class with Coach Rector.

Diane found a significant difference between her school in France and Father Ryan in the bond between students and teachers. “I

and testimonies from Mr. Francisco & Ms. Smith.

In addition to their service work, students enjoyed a day in downtown Charleston, where they attended Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and explored the city!

We are very grateful to the monks and Hank Chardos, who organized and led our days of service. They were great inspirations for how to serve God and others.

2nd Annual Titans Youth Football Camp

Father Ryan High School was chosen as one of six schools across Tennessee to host a Titans Youth Football Camp this summer. Open to children ages 7-14, this camp is an opportunity to continue the growth and development of the game of football at the youth level. The Titans plan to provide a fun and impactful learning experience through several activities, like teaching the fundamentals of the game, emphasizing teamwork, and providing football-specific games and drills.

The camp is on June 13 at Father Ryan, and registration is already open!

To register, visit our Junior Irish webpage and view the list of Junior Irish events.

For more information or questions, please contact community@titans.nfl.com

feel like the students here have a better and closer relationship with the teachers than in France,” Diane said.

She has also had the chance to experience Nashville outside the classroom. From the Parthenon at Centennial Park to shopping in downtown Franklin and 12th South, Diane said she is thankful she came to Tennessee. She loves the American lifestyle, and if she could stay forever, she would.

Diane is grateful for her host family and says she will miss Sunday night dinners getting sushi. Although she will miss the Durdens, her host sister, Eilie, will follow Diane to France, where she will receive a comparable experience to Diane as part of the same exchange program between Father Ryan and Saint-Denis.

Eilie loved having Diane live with her family, learning from someone from a different culture, and showing her around Nashville. “We tried to do fun things with Diane that she could not do in France, like go to Target, the malls, and Chick-fil-A. We also spent a lot of time just talking about her life in France and what I can expect when I go this summer.”

When reflecting on her experience in Father Ryan’s exchange program, Diane said, “I immediately received a warm welcome from the students and teachers, and I felt more comfortable practicing my English.”

Spend Your Summer at Father Ryan!

It may be cold outside, but warm weather and fun are right around the corner! Summer Camps at Father Ryan are back, and we can't wait to spend the summer with our campers. Whether your child is an artist, baker, performer, or athlete, there's something for everyone!

Registration for Father Ryan

Summer Camps is now open. Sign up today!