Mindfulness, according to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. The Visitation community and the students and faculty that fill these halls embody an undeniable mindfulness that makes the Vis experience unique from any other school environment.

Vis students actively seek to understand others’ opinions and viewpoints and participate in civil conversations, always refraining from judging. During the large group discussions that happen every day in the classroom, students try to understand where others are coming from and thoughtfully recognize that the experiences and opinions of others may differ greatly from their own.

Mindfulness is also evident in the level of inclusivity present at Vis. Each student fosters differences they may have with the young woman sitting next to them and is always able to engage in a healthy manner. Students notice when their peers are having a bad day or week. They seek out their sisters and thoughtfully have conversations or get them a coffee on the way to school. No, not necessary, but these small acts make huge differences and display the mindfulness that blooms in each Visitation student.

Student and faculty relationships are also filled with mindfulness. Teachers understand the basic stresses of high school and are always flexible while still teaching each student the valuable lesson of time management. Teachers understand the backgrounds — no matter what they are  — of the students sitting before them. Whether they come from the Visitation Middle School downstairs or a middle school in a different state that could not be more different from Vis; each teacher understands these possibilities and caters to the needs of each student.

Overall, students and all the other people that are a part of the amazing Visitation community embody a mindfulness that makes being a student here a great blessing. Whether it be through a respectful conversation in English class or a coffee when a classmate has a bad week, the young women that fill this school never fail to let their mindfulness lead their actions in a beautiful direction.