Even before he arrived at Saint Ignatius High School, Connor Gisztl '22 was thinking about how he could help others.
Gisztl has always wanted to help the homeless. Last year, as an eighth grader at Cuyahoga Heights Middle School, Gisztl came up with an idea to help. In December, as winter entered full force, Gisztl hatched the idea of creating "Blessing Bags." Gisztl filled bags with food, water, and other essentials, and then delivered them to members of Cleveland's homeless community.
On Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Cleveland Browns honored Gisztl as a pregame coin toss captain, in recognition of his service to the homeless of Cleveland. Gisztl walked out with the Browns' captains to midfield and took part in the coin toss before the Browns' game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"It was really cool," Gisztl said. "The people were a lot taller than me. I was standing next to Myles Garrett – he's 6'5, and I'm 5'1, so it was fun. It was a cool experience."
Gisztl has enjoyed his experience at Saint Ignatius in his first month as a Wildcat. He is also a member of the freshman football team, helping the Wildcats start the season with a 4-0 record. Gisztl's favorite class so far is Latin I with Rev. Paul Shelton, S.J.
Gisztl plans on attending Thursday's Christian Action Team meeting, since the freshman football team has the day off. Gisztl hopes to become involved in the Labre Ministry to the Homeless and other C.A.T. programs.