High School Students Make a Difference for February Break

A bus full of  students and chaperones leaves today for a weeklong trip to New Orleans to help reinvent what is still lost after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

This is the fourth year ROHS students have made a trip within the United States to an area seeking restoration and the second trip to New Orleans. Steve Chisnell, a Royal Oak High School English teacher and Interact Club advisor, heads this alternative February break trip.

The trip first started through requests from students who participated in Interact,  a youth Rotary club that engages students with local and national causes. Chisnell noted students help out a lot locally, but this was something that attracted a larger group.

“We go wherever the need is greatest,” Chisnell said. “We’re going down because we have a purpose; it’s not a vacation, we are there because we have people we need to help.”

According to Chisnell, the trips are not luxurious, they rough it, but that is part of what makes the trip so unique. This year, the group of 39 high school students and 11 chaperones will be wading into wetlands and replanting shrubs and plant life. In turn, the group  will be a part of the largest environmental restoration program in human history, Chisnell said. Another task is replacing drywall that has been put in several homes that has high sulfur content. 

Royal Oak Superintendent Thomas Moline, who will be taking part in the trip as well, said he already has his knee-high boots ready to go.

“I just really like getting involved with the students," Moline said. "I can’t get to know every student, but by working shoulder to shoulder with them, I can get to know some very well and they can get to know me very well.”

According to Chisnell, about one-third of the students who are attending this year have been on one of the trips before, which he is pleased about. He is even more excited to see the new faces on the trip. There are at least eight kids from each grade at the school participating.

“Kids are coming from all over the building, from different clusters and interests and it’s nice to see them get real tight before it’s all done,” Chisnell said.

This year, students will be staying at Camp Hope, a volunteer camp in New Orleans.

Each person participating was expected to pay $600 for the trip, chaperones included. Instead of doing traditional fundraising methods, such as car washes or selling candy, Chisnell said they go around and tell their story. Students explain to neighbors, friends or other family members what their mission is and try to get enough in donations to fund their trip.

Chisnell noted one student received $1,300 this year and was able to give the excess to a couple of students who were short on reaching their $600 goal.

“The stuff we see is pretty sobering,” Chisnell said. “I haven’t found any project or event that impacts kids like this one does.”

Another new addition to the trip this year is the National Relief Network will be conducting a national leadership training session and helping kid learn to assess situations and how to respond if disaster happens. Chisnell said he thinks this aspect will impact the students even more.

“The motto for this year’s trip is, 'We won’t forget,'” Moline said. “True to form, we haven’t forgotten.”