Delbarton Eighth-Grader Elected Class Pope

Last week Br. Liam Mullin's Religious Heroes class hosted a papal conclave to elect a Class Pope. Yes, you read that right. Class Pope.

Technically, a papal conclave is a meeting convened by the College of Cardinals when a vacancy arises in the office to elect a Bishop of Rome, who becomes the pope.

The word 'conclave' comes from the Latin: cum (with) + clavis (key). Custom demands that the cardinals be locked in a room until they elect a new ruler. The Catholic Church has used the papal conclave to select popes since 1274. In fact, the papal conclave is now the oldest ongoing method for choosing the leader of any institution in the world.

Br. Liam's students took the process seriously as well they should. The Class Conclave Rules stipulated that any shenanigans could result in a conclave cancellation. Everyone knows that even a bad papal conclave is better than a good eighth grade religion class. Not that Br. Liam doesn't make religion interesting and fun because, obviously, he does.

During the conclave each boy assumed the role of Cardinal and they rotated the jobs of Chief Teller, Recorder and Assistant Teller. One student needed to earn two-thirds of the votes for the Pope to be selected. The Cardinals met in one of Delbarton's oldest classrooms – what the setting lacked in Vatican-eqsue grandeur it more than made for in solemnity.

The eighth-grade conclave was sealed – we got there in the nick of time – and Br. Liam reminded the boys of a few more conclavian rules such as no active campaigning and no displays of emotion.

Br. Liam threw caution to the wind and paper votes were burned outside Old Main after each of multiple ballots. In Rome a lack of consensus is advertised with black smoke, but the class instead chose a lovely shade of grey. After one particular ballot burning the group was momentarily astonished to see several fire trucks pulling onto campus – an upperclassman in Trinity Hall had accidentally activated a fire alarm by brushing against it with his knapsack. What he said.

Back to our conclave. We witnessed three ballots during the first class session. In the first ballot nine out of 16 students received at least one vote. In the second ballot seven out of 16 boys received votes, and many of the names in the second vote had not appeared in the first. "Gentlemen, we are going in the wrong direction."

We anticipated a long and grueling process, and were pleasantly surprised to learn from Br. Liam the very next day that a Class Pope had been elected. Either the boys knuckled down on their own, or Br. Liam – clearly more powerful than any Class Pope – read them the papal riot act.

Now that we have an eighth-grade Class Pope what, exactly, does he do other than smile beatifically, accept compliments from underlings and bring joy into the hearts of his parents with his lofty title? (Just who doesn't want a Pope in the family?) The abridged rights and privileges of the Class Pope are as follows:

• During one first period class each term the Class Pope may organize (ahead of time) a small 'breakfast party'.
• The Class Pope may veto one quiz per term.
• The Class Pope may grant an extension of three calendar days for one reflection paper per term.
• The Class Pope may postpone one test per term for one school day.

We are pleased to announce (try to visualize, here, white smoke puffing from an Old Main chimney) 8th grader Jake Ullman '16, formerly Jacob Cardinal Ullman, is the first 8th Grade Class Pope.

You rule, Pope Ullman. No, seriously, you do.