Mark Laury, Ministry Lead of Marianist Encounters at Chaminade College Preparatory, St. Louis, MO, sends us this update.
We began and will continue planting native gardens throughout campus with our science students. These gardens have a brief educational placard nearby for passersby.
A service trip to El Salvador over the summer to assist in the construction of classrooms for a village school. Working with the Building Futures Project, students will also spend time working with children at a local community center.
A service trip to Ellington, MO, is planned with Whole Kids Outreach. Students will work to prepare the camp facilities for one of the poorest communities in Missouri. Students will also work on the homes of clients of the agency.
A medical mission to Honduras is planned with Global Health Squads. Students will help improve health outcomes by helping at clinics and in public health campaigns.
A Spring Break service trip is planned for the Oglala Lakota reservation in South Dakota. Students will help construct basic amenities and participate in cultural activities at the reservation.
Mission Week will help fund the Marianist Missions in India and Kenya, especially Our Lady of Nazareth Primary School in Nairobi and Morning Star School in Singhpur, India. Students will be educated on poverty and the opportunities Marianist institutions bring to those most vulnerable.
As a way of celebrating with our Asian resident students, an expansive Lunar New Year Celebration is planned for this year. Area Chinese cultural organizations will be on campus performing and teaching traditional crafts, dances, and games. Asian food trucks, lucky red envelopes, and a fireworks finale will end the evening and begin their new year.
The Diversity Club is planning Resident Move-In Day as a “housewarming” event for our international students who will be moving into their new dorm. Faculty, staff, families, and day students are invited to join the resident students in helping them move from their former dorm to their new dorm.
A newly formed Black Student Union in partnership with P.I.E.S (Parents for an Inclusive Environment in School) has been created to enrich all students with empathy, compassion, and the ability to collaborate cross-culturally. They have sponsored bulletin boards, talks, and other educational experiences. They are planning a Black History Program for the community this February, which will, in part, include a performance from Point of Surrender Dance Studio.
The Band program has scheduled a Marianist Band Day, which is a collaboration with St. John Vianney, a brother Marianist School, who will come together for combined rehearsal, masterclasses and a final performance. Dr. Thomas Bough from Northern IL University will lead the masterclass.
The Advancement Department opted to use the same auction theme for the second year in a row. A driving force behind this was sustainability, as they will be able to reuse consumable materials such as decorations, stationary, and promotional materials. This is a significant approach for such an elaborate event that hosts around 400 guests.
The middle school has implemented a phone-free policy. We have seen very positive results of this adjustment, specifically more positive and engaged social interactions among students. The administration is investigating if and how to bring this policy to the high school for next year.
The MIT will conduct an audit to determine how well the recent “No Single Use Water Bottle” policy has been realized.
The Global Awareness office with Campus Ministry is planning a week of events and awareness for Global Awareness Week.
The Chaminade Sustainability Corps is planning a community-wide electronic waste recycling day on campus. They will also plan service opportunities and events to celebrate Laudato Si and Earth Week.
Hope to see some photos of some of these outreach projects after they happen!