This year’s winner of the Hill-Murray School Benedictine Award was Grace Turner. This award is announced on graduation night and awardees are not notified before-hand. Grace is a student who is self-directed and motivated. She was doing her work for the love of service and therefore fits the Benedictine ideal of humility. She didn’t expect to receive this award but was honored by it and that speaks volumes.
Grace Turner graduated this year and didn’t have a clue at ceremonies that she had been picked to receive the Benedictine award. The announcement began by announcing the activities and accomplishments of the students with their name being called at the end. Of course, as the description grew more specific Grace and her family began to realize it was her. She says she was very excited thinking it could be her. When her name was called she felt blessed by this honor and cried her way up on stage. She was there with her family who got to experience it right alongside her. She says it was an amazing experience.
Grace has always had a love for service and has spent a good portion of her free time helping other youth. She worked for three years at camp Dunrovin in Stillwater. This camp provides a respite for kids coming in from Chicago. Grace helped to lead them in prayer and provide a space for them to receive some respite and peace. She has also participated in mission trips to Browning, Montana where she helped to tutor students, and attend classes like gym to assist the teachers.
Through her church, St. Ambrose, she gives her time to girls in middle school. This is a program called Edge which gives them free time where they hear from other students like Grace who then lead them in small group discussions and prayer. She has volunteered for this program for two years. This year, she will be joined by her sister, Whitney who is currently a junior at Hill-Murray School.
This is a good amount of experience already, but Grace didn’t stop there. While in school at Hill-Murray, she was a part of peer ministry, helping to organize retreats, leading school Mass, and planning further activities. She also belonged to DECA Chapter which went to Nationals this year for creating a community giving program to assist a Cottage Grove charity. In addition, she was with the National Honor Society Pioneer Investors, which organized fundraisers. She was busy while a student but loved her experience.
Finally, Grace was also fortunate to be part of the first class who pursued the Benedictine Formation Certificate. She and other Hill-Murray students came to the Monastery in the morning once a month to learn about Benedictine tradition, prayer, and the roots of LaSallian and Benedictine traditions at Hill-Murray.
She says the certificate program was a great experience because it helped her to get closer to her peers. They even stayed together at the Monastery for one overnight. In addition, she says the Benedictine style of prayer doesn’t feel rushed and there is a lot of time for reflection and to be more thoughtful. She definitely recommends this course.
For future plans, Grace will be attending the Baylor University Honors college, which provides a broad range of options for classes to those who are wanting to explore before picking a major. She has interests in English, History, Business, and Theology so will have a lot of classes to chose from as she gets started.
We congratulate Grace on her award and can’t wait to see what the future brings for her. With all the she has already accomplished toward service, we know she will make Hill-Murray and the Sisters of St. Paul’s Monastery proud.
