Devon Prep Students Spend Summer Helping Others

Sept. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- When asked “what did you do over your summer vacation” at least 24 Devon Prep students and five students from Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Strafford, can say they did some good. These 29 students along with six adult chaperones travelled 13 hours to the Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky to do service in one of the poorest areas of the country. In this area the poverty rate is 3X that of the nation.

The purpose of the trip was to assist individuals and families with various projects. Among the many tasks they performed were: landscaping for St. Martha's Church and for members of the church; cleaning and prep work to help the Piarist school get ready for the new school year; and moving and clean-up of materials belonging to neighboring St. Luke's Church that had been destroyed by a tornado. They also spent time painting the interior and exterior of a resident’s home and demolishing a deck and stairs and building a new deck and ramp.

In addition the group donated over $1300 to the Piarist Outreach program, the Piarist School, and St. Martha's Church. The Piarist Fathers are the religious order that conducts Devon Prep.

According to Mr. Joe Lewis, Devon Prep faculty member and the trip coordinator, “Our students conducted themselves in such a way that brought about many a compliment from the people we met.  They were touched by our students’ hard work, good cheer, and willingness to help.”

The owner of the house that was painted summed it up nicely when he told one of the chaperones, "If all churches did what you done, there would be no problems."  

Devon Prep coordinates a Kentucky Mission Trip several times each year for students to  perform community service and support the Piarist Outreach Program. All Devon Prep students, in both the Middle School and Upper school are required to perform community service throughout the school year.

Devon Prep is a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for young men in grades six through 12, conducted by the Piarist Fathers. Nearly 300 students attend the school which is located on a 20 acre campus on 363North Valley Forge Road in Devon, Chester County. Devon Prep will hold an OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, October 14 from 1-4 PM. For more information call 610-688-7337 or visit, email admissions@devonprep.com or visit www.devonprep.com.