8
March 11, 2014
catholic schools
CATHOLIC EDUCATION INSPIRES
leadership.
St. Lawrence Academy students expand understanding of homelessness
Most Holy Trinity School to
celebrate 50 years
Most Holy Trinity School, San
Jose, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is seeking
input from alumni. Would you like to
reconnect with other alumni or help
the planning committee?
Contact Alma Fernandez at 408482-7347 or alma.fernandez76@
gmail.com.
St. Lawrence Academy students prepare to spend ‘homeless’ night.
old who spent his childhood living
in homeless encampments with his
substance-addicted parents.
Bobby had the students remove their
jackets during his story so that they
could really experience the cold as they
learned about Bobby’s successful attempt to avoid the temptation of drugs
and break the cycle of homelessness
that plagued his childhood.
“It was a night to learn about the
dark realities of our world and why we
can’t discriminate against our brothers and sisters in need,” said Yajaira
Morales, a chaperone and one of the
faculty members who helped shape this
year’s event. “Homeless or not, people
are people, and we all have the same
basic human needs,” she said.
The next morning, most students
went home for a nap, but a few continued on a walking tour of downtown
San Jose offered by Sacred Heart Community Service that focused on the
local homeless population.
Students participating in Cardboard
Box City raised $1,000 through participation fees to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Those who participated in the
mock soup kitchen paid an additional
$10, which was donated to Sacred Heart
Community Service.
SU B
M f AC
M or K
ER
20
14
On a recent chilly night, 36 St. Lawrence Academy (Santa Clara) students
experienced some challenges of being
homeless: they spent a winter night
living outdoors. Without warm beds or
their electronic devices, they ate a soup
kitchen meal and turned cardboard
boxes into “homes” to sleep.
“It was hard to sleep,” said junior
Zac Blackburn. “I would never want
to live like that.”
The annual event, called Cardboard
Box City, traces its origin to the school’s
2005 benefit for victims of Hurricane
Katrina, but this is the first year that it
has taken place outdoors.
The event has evolved into a way
for students to express solidarity with
those in the world who do not have
homes and for students to gain exposure to the issues of homelessness and
poverty.
Students heard from two employees
of the Santa Clara County Department
of Alcohol and Drug Services (DADS).
Danae Cox and Juan Hernandez, a St.
Lawrence Academy alum from the
class of 1996, discussed their work with
the local homeless population.
Students also listened to a firsthand
account of what it means to experience poverty and homelessness from
a young man named Bobby, a 20-year-
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