Eighth grade – the culmination of the Mission Basilica School experience – a year of special memories, leadership opportunities, challenging academics, mixed emotions, and awesome spiritual involvement.

Our eighth grade students use many adjectives to describe this very important year, but the two repeated most often are “fast” and “last.” The “fast” year flies by with academics, sports, extra-curricular activities, ministries, retreats, field trips, and many, many milestones. The months of the “last” year are punctuated with special nostalgic events etched in our students’ memories forever: e.g. the last United Nations Day, the last Christmas program, the last St. Joseph’s Day, and the last school Mass. The students relish each of these moments, but also enjoy many new eighth grade experiences.

The eighth grade students play a vital leadership role on many of the special Mission School days. They share their talents during school Masses, daily assemblies, the Read-a-thon, and food collections for the poor, to name but a few eighth grade ministries.

Students love their field trips to local high schools, Pali Leadership Camp, and the end of the year trip to Disneyland.