Academics - Holy Family Catholic High School

One of the most visible ways that HolyFamily lives out its mission is through ourschool-wide Service Day each November,when every member of our school familyis engaged in some kind of volunteer workat school or in the broader community.Some of our service even impacts peoplethroughout the world. For example, thefood that our 9th graders packed at theFeed My Starving Children sites will goto malnourished children in Haiti andAfrica. This year the primary focus for9th graders was to fulfill the work ofmercy by providing food for the hungry.In addition to the food packed at Feed MyStarving Children, students also made2,475 sandwiches to be distributed inMinneapolis over the course of just twodays through the 363 Days Program. Somany charities provide meals for peoplein need on Thanksgiving and Christmas,but as Mr. Allan Law, the founder of 363Days, explained during his visit, hungeris a problem every other day of the year,too. PROP in Chanhassen as well as theICA Food Shelf in Excelsior, were pleasedto have our students’ help unloading thefood truck and sorting donations.In addition to feeding the hungry,students were involved in other worksof mercy, such as educating, visiting thesick, and comforting the afflicted. Tenthand twelfth graders participated in avariety of off-campus service opportunitiesthrough which they were able to puttheir faith into action. They visitedwith residents, helped pack OperationChristmas Child boxes, and played bingoat Good Samaritan, Auburn Manor, andFriendship Manor. The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society was pleased with howmuch paperwork a small group of studentscould accomplish in one afternoon. Somestudents had the privilege of going backto visit their elementary schools and workwith the children or help with a variety ofcleaning and office tasks. Some studentsworked with people with disabilities atVictoria Care Center; others spent timehelping at Prairie Adult Care and theJamboree Preschool fieldtrip.Many non-profit organizations andchurches in the broader communitystrive to clothe the naked and shelterthe homeless. Many of our studentshad the opportunity to learn aboutthese organizations and ministriesand help them with the work that theymost needed which, in many cases, wasindoor or outdoor cleanup work. Weserved St. Anne’s Shelter, People ServingPeople, Mount Olivet Rolling Acres, St.Victoria Church, Ascension Church andSchool, as well as the Visitation Sistersof Minneapolis. Aeon, a group whichprovides affordable housing in the TwinCities, had three sites that benefited fromour outdoor cleanup work. A number ofseniors had a unique opportunity to be partof a conversation circle with Bhutaneseelders in the Citizenship Class offeredthrough Lutheran Social Services RefugeeServices. Others were able to engage ininterfaith dialogue at the Dharma FieldZen Center.In addition to working with a variety ofpeople and organizations, a quarter of ourstudents volunteered to improve things inour own school community. Every year,the juniors have the task of doing behindthe-sceneswork for the Spirit of FireDinner Auction. Whether students helpeddecorate the hallway, or carried chairs,their efforts helped transform the schoolinto a magical place for the generousbenefactors of Holy Family. Besidesworking Spirit of Fire, some students alsohelped Admissions make phone calls toprospective students, created new labsfor physics classes, and made the driveon Highway 18 more pleasant for driversthrough the highway cleanup that theydid.Service Day gives all students, faculty,and staff opportunities to put our faithinto action.Passages 7