Two CCHS sophomore light groups left campus on the 27th of September to serve at inner-city elementary schools in downtown San Diego. Roughly twenty students were brought to Our Lady’s School from the light groups of Mrs. Margaret Billy, director of learning center, and Mrs. Mary Molitor, learning center teacher, where they volunteered.
Our Lady’s School has provided Catholic education to inner city students for over one hundred years. With a shortage of staff, it is in desperate need of more funds and overall help.
Upon arrival, the two light groups were immediately divided onto two campuses. Mrs. Billy’s light group was taken to the older campus of students in Pre-K and grades four through eight, while Mrs. Molitor’s class was taken to the younger campus, which included students from kindergarten through the third grade.
The sophomores then proceeded to help teachers on both campuses. They corrected a myriad of papers, monitored class work, and worked with the students directly. Whether they helped kindergarten students assemble their scarecrow art projects, played with the pre-schoolers in the sand box, or guided others through a series of math problems, the help was greatly appreciated.
However, perhaps the most remembered in-class moment was the all-class reading, where students began climbing all over each other and lightheartedly goofing off. “It was like being smothered by children,” commented Mrs. Billy.
Even more unforgettable than the inundating reading sessions was recess, where students from both schools were able to interact with one another and have an overall grand time.
“The students really loved having high school athletes to play with,” said Mrs. Molitor, and with students like varsity football player Clayton Dale initiating a riveting football match, it was very easy to see why.
Overall, both light group leaders said that everyone had a “great time” and they further remarked on what an eye-opening experience the entire trip turned out to be.
Mrs. Molitor commented on the shortage of teachers and expressed her amazement when recalling how dedicated the limited number of teachers on campus were. “The school offers an afterschool child care program”, she said, “and the teachers who volunteer their own personal time to supervise the children, without extra pay, were truly inspiring. They showed that working at Our Lady’s is not simply a job or a career for them; it is a vocation.”
Keeping this in mind, Mrs. Molitor, along with Mrs. Billy and all of the light group students, returned back to CCHS with good feelings all around. The students no longer exhibited that reluctance they had when they arrived on campus. In the words of Mrs. Molitor, “They all left feeling quite ‘jazzed’.”
