Campus Minister Bill Creach stands outside the Room of Requirement, located in CMT, checking in on a student who dozed off in one of the two comfortable chairs residing in the cozy spot.
When Creach became campus minister, he knew that his goal would be to carry on the works of Mary Perrini and Renee Schultz, two previous CMT staff members, but that also included the renaming of the “cry room.”
“When Mrs. Perrini was here, it was nicknamed the ‘cry room’ because students having a rough time would go in there,” Creach said. “She would visit with the kids who are having a rough time.”
After Schultz left in November of 2019, she thought the “cry room” needed a refresh. It had become more than just a place to cry. It was a setting where students could accomplish whatever they needed. The room had fully transitioned during 2020.
“She recommended we call the room The Room of Requirement,” Creach said. “Because in the Harry Potter stories at Hogwarts, there is a room that magically becomes whatever a person in need needs it to be.”
Senior Dory Latenser has definitely taken advantage of the room’s setup for her Miege Weekly interviews.
“I feel like that room reflects this atmosphere of honesty, so I thought I would get good quotes from people for a funky little segment,” Latenser said.
Latenser believes that the room can do more good for students if they start going there earlier in their time at Miege, rather than just discovering it when they’re upperclassmen.
“If I could say one thing to underclassmen, it would be to go to CMT, because it’s awesome,” Latenser said. “I wish I would have been going more, all throughout life.
Students like junior Joseph Schmidt use the Room of Requirement for other purposes and note its adaptive qualities.
“If you have homework to finish up before or after school, it’s a great way to get some kind of quiet time and be left alone,” Schmidt said.
He notes a specific instance when Mr. Creach allowed him to spend some time in the room after a long school day. This is a typical occurrence for those who frequently enter the space.
“I just hung out in the Room of Requirement for maybe 10 or 20 minutes to de-stress,” Schmidt said. “It’s a great, welcoming atmosphere.”
The environment of the Room of Requirement is a smaller, more homey extension of the open area of the Campus Ministry Office. Senior Benedict Balino uses the chairs in the room to catch a few Z’s when he is the teacher aide for Creach.
“Usually when I TA, I come in here and do my schoolwork because it’s really quiet,” Balino said. “It feels really cozy, and like I’m at home with all the furniture with all the shelves and surfaces.”
Balino has immense gratitude for the Room of Requirement and explains how safe the space can truly make a person feel.
“I feel safe because when you’re in school, you’re just surrounded by lots and lots and lots of people, but whenever you’re in the Room of Requirement, it’s just you; it’s your time,” Balino said.
CMT Administrative Assistant Deborah Schraeder is brand new to Miege and finds that the Room of Requirement is integral to the well-being of many students.
“There’s people that go in there for some pretty rough reasons,” Schraeder said. “It’s just an awesome thing we can provide.”
Schraeder loves to see students coming into CMT and the Room of Requirement for serious and silly reasons, in the spirit of the room’s purpose.
“One of my favorite moments was when there was a group of a large group of kids laying down on the floor and just singing as a stress reliever,” Schraeder said.
For Creach, the best part of his job is not just organizing retreats and Masses but also seeing students feel comfortable within CMT and the Room of Requirement.
“Whether it’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a ‘please print a paper for me’ or ‘my lockers jammed’ or ‘I need to talk to someone,’ I’m glad this is an open door for people to come in,” Creach said.
