The week after the first semester ends at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School, the school community holds an annual week filled with learning about fun and curious topics. During the transition period from the first to the second semester, MercyMester is a three-day week in which students enroll into different classes that spark their individual interests. Each day is split into 7 parts: Period 1, Period 2, DEIJ presentations, service activities, lunch, Period 4, and Period 5. Some classes that are offered during this week are On-Screen Diversity, which talks about how different types of people are presented in Western media, Writing in Hieroglyphics that teaches the meaning behind and correct pronunciation of the glyphs, Pick Your Poison that assess toxicology and the effects of different substances on the body, and many others based on the subjects we have during the formal semesters. Along with having classes that peak interests, Gwynedd always makes sure to incorporate periods of service and diversity studies into our curriculum. In service, students made Valentine’s Day cards for both residents and staff of Laurel House, wrote letters to the incoming class of 2027, and created small pieces of art in response to stressful thoughts or memories. In the DEIJ presentations, given by our head of diversity and inclusion Ms. Roberson, she and the students focused on microaggressions and discriminatory acts against the black community and other races in our society. They included racial-hair profiling, viewing all people of one race as the same under societal stereotypes, and the gravity and history words have against a group of people. Service and Diversity often intertwine with each other, so it is important that we learn about what affects our world today and find ways to correct it. As freshmen, sophomores, and juniors enjoy MercyMester on campus, our seniors are on their Emmaus Retreat having fun and deepening their relationship with each other and God. This week is supposed to be a restful and educational one as GMA students slowly work their way into the second and final semester of the 2022-2023 school year.