St. Joe's Students Headed to Appalachia

Instead of heading off to popular Florida beaches or other tropical destinations this spring break, a group of St. Joe's students and teachers are going to Ivanhoe, Va. to fulfill the school's mission statement and serve the impoverished community in the Appalachian region of the country.

In past years, these students have devoted their spring breaks to go to Mexico with fellow classmates to lend a helping hand to different communities. However, this is the first time in recent years that these girls will be staying within the country. One teacher accompanying the students on the trip, Ann Hammer, revealed her excitement in the destination this year. “Staying within the country opens our eyes to what is happening on our own soil and it really gives a deeper awareness to the girls as to what some people in this country experience every day,” says Hammer.

The 11 students going on the trip consist of one senior,  three juniors and seven sophomores. Throughout their stay in Ivanhoe, these girls will be working with people in the community to do tasks such as home repairs, farm work, restoring parks, and working with the elderly.  One thing that Hammer is especially looking forward to is World Water Day on March 22. "On this day, the girls will go to a local elementary school and work with the children there to raise awareness about the scarcity of water in some parts of the world."

St. Joe's has worked with the organizationVolunteers for Communities, helping to gather community service for Appalachian communities in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. They work a great deal with universities and college students. however they have recently expanded to work with willing high school students.

St. Joe's will be first the all girl high school that has traveled to help the Appalachian communities over spring break. In addition, another local school, St.Louis University High will be close by in a neighboring community.

The students attending the trip have had a very positive and enthusiastic attitude towards their upcoming mission work. In the past week, they have held a bake sale to raise money for their transportation to and from Virginia and have been spending time together to prepare for the week ahead of them.

This will be junior Katja Miller’s first time attending a St. Joe's mission trip. “I’m really happy with the decision I’ve made to go to Virginia. I really hope I can gain from the sense of giving back and I’m really looking forward to working with this group of girls,” says Miller.

Junior Stephanie Goodwin, one student who went on the trip to Mexico last year shared her experience which she described as one of the best weeks of her life. “Going into it, I really wasn’t excited because I felt I was missing out on going on vacation. However, as soon as I became connected with the people I was working with, I quickly realized that there was nothing else I’d rather be doing,” says Goodwin.

Most import, Goodwin also shared that she hopes the girls going to Appalachia this year will have the same great experience that she did last year.