What better city for Salem MA students to experience some cultural diversity other than New Orleans? This Week, 19 SACS Students have ventured down South to volunteer their time working wherever a welcome hand is needed.

But these things don’t happen on their own.

To send each student on this trip costs $850, and all 19 had to earn their own spot. The fundraising efforts for this trip began back in December of last year through appeal letters to families, grant writing and fundraisers; students and teachers have come together once again this year to make this trip a reality.

The trip offers students something to look forward to. And at this late stage in the school year even the most dedicated of students can benefit from having an exciting getaway to motivate them.

SACS has partnered with United Saints Recover Project to help allocate the student’s work efforts effectively during the week long trip. United Saints was founded back in 2007 out of need for assistance for many displaced families in need who’s home are still in disrepair from the Hurricane damage that took place almost a decade ago.

Engagement, Exposure, Retention.

After arriving on the first day, students dove right into the realities of a hard day’s work. While the act of giving back to the community has rewards all its own, this was the first time many students had experienced manual labor. Paint brush in hand, the group worked together to revitalize a small piece of this New Orleans neighborhood.

Curiosity meets Activism.

With the surplus of stray dogs in the area, many local animal shelters run at constant capacity. SACS students stopped by a no kill shelter to help care for some of the current canine tenants.

Students may not be accustomed to seeing stray dogs running around the street back home, but in the Southern States it’s a way of life. This week SACS students were immersed in creating new relationships of all kinds, human and animal alike.

Many of these new bonds were made with locals that have dedicated their life’s work to improving the area around them. Motivated not by money, but purely by the goodwill that helping one another creates, these experiences stretch deep between students and their teachers creating a bond that will last a lifetime.

Being a small tight-knit school, SACS Student’s relationships are already uniquely strong going into the trip. But there is something about getting outside of the classroom that solidifies these memories, along with the lessons they carry. Students who participate in Educational Trips often discover more about the subjects they wish to pursue in college, and perhaps in life. By actively participating in giving back during their High School years, these kids are gaining a deep appreciation for this work and growing to become contributing citizens to the world around them.

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. - Benjamin Franklin

Most Importantly, Have Fun.

There will be no shortage of lessons learned the hard way for these students. In life those lessons are a certainty. But the unexpected lessons, the ones that yield a highest return are the ones that are fun.

SACS Alumna (‘12) Fallon Burke, participated in the first ever SACS trip to New Orleans her Junior year. She returned again her Senior year. When the opportunity presented itself a 3rd time her Freshman year of college, she attended yet another service trip offered through Bucknell University; the school where she’s now entering her Senior year. When asked why she went back to New Orleans for a 3rd time Burke replied:

“I fell in love with the city. It’s easy to think that Katrina hit so long ago that now the city must be fine. But, when you’re there in person, you see how much work is still left to be done. We’re so quick to respond to foreign natural disaster that come up in news, but with the damage done from Hurricane Katrina and Sandy we often forget about the home front. These trips get you out there, and you learn the hard skills that can be used to help others.”

Photos by: Spanish Teacher Ana Brea and Art Teacher Alicia Arendt
Written and Layout by: Erik Sayce