Walking into a St. Catherine-St. Lucy School classroom on a Friday afternoon, you may see discarded paper scraps, sticky glue fingers, a wide array of craftwork and tons of smiling faces– and at the center of it all is senior Teigan Macek, the leader of Roses 4 Austin.
Roses 4 Austin is a service group dedicated to providing artistic and creative after-school activities for students at St. Catherine-St. Lucy School in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago.
Sydney Jackson, a former student of Oak Park and River Forest High School, started Roses 4 Austin with five other students in 2015, when she was a sophomore. Since then, the club leadership has been passed down through various dedicated members. It even lasted through the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the start of the school year, Roses 4 Austin welcomed Macek to lead the club to new heights. At their biweekly meetings, Macek and more than 30 other student members go to St. Catherine-St. Lucy after school.
“I got involved with Roses 4 Austin two years ago after hearing how much my sister loved the program when she was a part of it,” said Macek.
Junior Ava Fisher is a first-year club participant after being encouraged by Macek to try something new. “Teigan is a role model for me. She is always so welcoming and inclusive. She encourages anyone to volunteer regardless if they have a lot of friends doing it, if they’ve never done it, or if they just want to try it out,” said Fisher.
“My favorite part is always seeing all of the kids’ faces when we walk into their classes,” said Macek. She enjoys being part of something that has such a big impact, she said. “It is so amazing to tell from their expressions how excited they are to find out what the craft will be for that day.”
Through her hard work and dedication to the club, Macek shows how much she cares about the kids, according to club members. “You can just tell when she walks in the room. All of the kids really love Teigan,” said junior Isabel Stickney.
“I am so grateful to be a part of this program, and I really hope this continues for many years in the future,” said Macek.
