2008 Woodie Awards
Students Give Back on Alternative Spring Breaks
Devin Murphy '10
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News
"They're really just very similar to us," said Piperno. "They're more contemporary than people think."
However, according to Piperno, poverty on the reservation is widespread. Trash is also a problem on the reservation. There is no sanitation service to pick up the garbage, so it accumulates. Stray dogs and junked cars are also common sights.
"We did a clean-up one day," said Piperno. "It took most of the day."
"Yes, there's poverty, but their spirit is so high," said Piperno. "They were willing to share their culture and explain their culture."
While on the reservation, students participated in community service projects. They volunteered at an elementary school, visited a high school, helped out at a day care center, and helped deliver hot meals to an older adult center with a Meals on Wheels program.
"It was really a great experience," said Piperno. One of my favorite things we did was we painted a mural with the Boys and Girls Club. Doug [their guide] designed the mural and we painted it."
"I really enjoyed working at the Elementary School on the reservation," said Smith. "I worked with the second grade class and they were the greatest kids. They struggle in school and to be able to volunteer with them and just help them for a day was a rewarding experience. I also enjoyed playing with them at recess! They had so much energy!"
PC students also shared their high school and college experiences with teenagers living on the reservation who were curious about high school and college.
"They wanted to learn about us too," said Piperno. "We talked about our high school experiences. It was like a cultural exchange."
The students' host families were also very willing to show them other parts of the reservation, historical sites, and other sites. According to Piperno, the students were taken on an educational hike, night fishing, and given a tour of peridot mines.
"My favorite activity was the late night fishing trip in which all 12 of us packed into the back of one host-dad's pick-up truck and went fishing in the San Carlos Lake," said Marielle Guiney '10. "The late night fishing trip was cool because that night we really got to bond with the teenagers in our host families."
However, according to Piperno, poverty on the reservation is widespread. Trash is also a problem on the reservation. There is no sanitation service to pick up the garbage, so it accumulates. Stray dogs and junked cars are also common sights.
"We did a clean-up one day," said Piperno. "It took most of the day."
"Yes, there's poverty, but their spirit is so high," said Piperno. "They were willing to share their culture and explain their culture."
While on the reservation, students participated in community service projects. They volunteered at an elementary school, visited a high school, helped out at a day care center, and helped deliver hot meals to an older adult center with a Meals on Wheels program.
"It was really a great experience," said Piperno. One of my favorite things we did was we painted a mural with the Boys and Girls Club. Doug [their guide] designed the mural and we painted it."
"I really enjoyed working at the Elementary School on the reservation," said Smith. "I worked with the second grade class and they were the greatest kids. They struggle in school and to be able to volunteer with them and just help them for a day was a rewarding experience. I also enjoyed playing with them at recess! They had so much energy!"
PC students also shared their high school and college experiences with teenagers living on the reservation who were curious about high school and college.
"They wanted to learn about us too," said Piperno. "We talked about our high school experiences. It was like a cultural exchange."
The students' host families were also very willing to show them other parts of the reservation, historical sites, and other sites. According to Piperno, the students were taken on an educational hike, night fishing, and given a tour of peridot mines.
"My favorite activity was the late night fishing trip in which all 12 of us packed into the back of one host-dad's pick-up truck and went fishing in the San Carlos Lake," said Marielle Guiney '10. "The late night fishing trip was cool because that night we really got to bond with the teenagers in our host families."
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