The Saint Paul’s sophomore class traveled to various locations across the Northshore and New Orleans for the annual Sophomore Service Day on November 15.
Regarding the history of Sophomore Service Day, Mr. Kevin Moore founded Sophomore Service Day about 15 years ago after asking former campus minister Mr. Charlie Legendre if the sophomore class could do some sort of service.
According to Moore, the objective of Sophomore Service Day was, and should still be, allowing students to serve the community.
When asked why he pushed for sophomores to take a day off from school to serve the community, Moore stated, “It was also clear that our students did not have a good grasp of what true service was or how to go about getting involved. They mistake volunteering for service. Service should be uncomfortable until it is comfortable.”
Accordingly, Moore and Campus Minister Jeffery Ramon spend countless hours deriving the plans for Sophomore Service Day each year.
This year, students could choose from 11 options to beautify and aid the community. Depending on the selection, they were divided into guided groups of seven to 31 people.
These options were Arc-GNO, Covington Clean-up, Food for Seniors, Keep Covington Beautiful, Keep Mandeville Beautiful, LSU Agricultural Garden, New Heights Therapy Center, Northshore Food Bank, Roquette Lodge, Saint Michael’s Special School, and the Samaritan Center.
Some students and teachers who served at these worksites shared their experiences with The Paper Wolf.
Saint Paul’s sophomore Luca Rodas reflected on his experience at Saint Michael’s School, a school for special needs adults in New Orleans. “For sophomore service day, I was fortunate to go to Saint Michael’s School to help special needs adults. It was an amazing experience, and I am grateful I was able to help.”
Saint Paul’s sophomore Sebastian Mutter worked at the LSU Agriculture Garden in Covington. “As a group, we worked to dig trenches and lay a waterline down so it could water the plants. We also built pots for other gardens and plants.”
Saint Paul’s sophomore Aiden Underwood helped elderly people at Roquette Lodge. “Roquette Lodge is an assisted living facility. I, alongside other students, helped the people living there (mostly the elderly) with technology, furniture, and hanging pictures.”
Saint Paul’s religion and Spanish teacher, Mr. Barrett Baumgartner, helped the sophomores keep Mandeville beautiful. “It was a great opportunity to bond with my students and get to know them outside the classroom. Additionally, it was nice that we could walk around Old Mandeville and help clean parts of the town that had been overlooked for so long. It felt amazing to bring care back into the area.”
Saint Paul’s sophomore Lane Hamaker also shared his experience keeping Mandeville beautiful. “We walked around the lakefront and Old Mandeville cleaning up trash in ditches and on the sidewalks. I learned how important it is to take care of my surroundings.”
Saint Paul’s sophomore Luke Murphy helped the elderly get food at Food For Seniors. “We worked with Catholic Charities to pack food boxes for seniors in the New Orleans area. I learned that service is very rewarding and a good way to bond with others.”
Saint Paul’s Sophomore Service Day is vital for blossoming sophomores as it helps them bond with one another while benefiting their communities.
Overall, this tradition gives them a unique opportunity to become more comfortable serving their community.
Published by Brady Johnson
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