Bishop Canevin students volunteer in Washington
Bishop Canevin High School senior Adam Petrovich, right, landscaper Susan Ward and junior Noah Kelsch prepare flowers to be transferred from the wheelbarrow to planters while volunteering last week for Highland Ridge Community Redevelopment Authority in Washington.
Emily Brosky, left, and Hailee Meenan, seniors at Bishop Canevin High School, put new flowers in planters for Highland Ridge Community Redevelopment Authority in Washington.
Bishop Canevin High School seniors Emily Brosky, left, and Hailee Meenan spruce up planters for the Highland Ridge Community Redevelopment Authority in Washington.
Hailee Meenan, a senior at Bishop Canevin High School, transfers plants to a wheelbarrow while volunteering for Highland Ridge Community Redevelopment Authority in Washington.
Students from Bishop Canevin High School volunteered last week during their annual mission trip throughout the city of Washington.
A total of 32 students and 18 adults helped the Highland Ridge Community Redevelopment Authority, Habitat for Humanity and City Mission.
This marked the third year students from Bishop Canevin, in East Carnegie, came to Washington for their mission trip. The students and parents who volunteered stayed in the dorms on the Washington & Jefferson College campus. While the students worked during their summer break, parents had to request vacation time off from work, a task none of them seemed to mind.
Working hours for the various projects were 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and students agreed to give up their cellphones for the week to prevent distractions on the job.
At Highland Ridge Community Redevelopment Authority, students weeded in the community gardens, rebuilt vegetable beds, planted flowers and painted two storage sheds.
For student Hailee Meenan, the location of the mission trip did not have to be far away for it to have an impact on someone.
“It’s about helping those in the community close to home,” Meenan, 17, said. “You can feel the results of the work every day.”
With Habitat for Humanity, students worked alongside a homeowner on Ford Street as they installed trusses, applied sheeting to the roof and shoveled gravel in the basement to prepare for a concrete pour. With the City Mission, volunteers aided in the Hidden Treasure stores in Washington, Canonsburg and North Strabane Township.
“It’s one of my favorite things to do in the summer,” Adam Petrovich, 17, said. “I enjoy being with my friends. It’s just nice to give back and show other people we care.”
In all, more than 320 hours of community service were logged in the city, and the students are looking forward to returning next year.