Congé is a day celebrated in Sacred Heart schools that comes as a surprise to students and faculty. It signals a day that academics are put aside and the fun begins. Each year the Newton Country Day Committee of Games, an organization comprised of representatives from each class and Math teacher and Committee moderator Ms. Patricia Rockensies, chooses a theme. Seniors race through the halls calling out CONGÉ at the top of their lungs! The books are abandoned and all gather in the Sweeney Husson Theatre to learn of the day’s activities.

Congé 2012 was celebrated on February 29 which happens to coincide with the Leap Year birthday of Mr. Robert Murrell, Chair of Visual Arts. The theme – “The Great Cakes.”

Middle and Upper School groups of four to six students spread out across the school. Each group was given a 9x13-inch cake, fondant, modeling chocolate, frosting, coloring, and a theme for the cake. Some themes included wedding, sports, TV shows, the end of the world, and recreational activities. Following a surprise lunch at which time a group of faculty and staff judged the cakes for creativity and design, students and faculty gathered in the theatre for an afternoon of hilarious entertainment by hypnotist Pete Mamos. The day of excitement ended with a slideshow that presented pictures of all the cakes to the Sacred Heart audience and the announcement of the winning cakes. Happy Congé!

View a Congé slideshow of “The Great Cakes.”