Whether it was traveling overseas or playing in a national soccer tournament, Mount Carmel students know how to have an interesting and eventful summer. Now, a month into the new school year, we look back on some of the many different ways Mount Carmel students spent their summers.

Many students chose to spend their summers dedicating time toward helping the community. Sophomore Anthony Morales volunteered as a camp counselor and special events coordinator for the Field Museum.

“It was really fun to go to work every day in the city,” Morales recalled,  “and to work with people from all over the Chicagoland area.”

Junior Ben Judy was selected to be a member of the King Conservation Scholars Program with the Chicago Zoological Society, for which he completed 130 hours of service work.  The experience was particularly meaningful because of his career goals.

“I really enjoy working at the Zoo and learning about the animals and conservation and hope to pursue a career in science and technology one day.”

Mount Carmel students also got involved in three summer volunteer trips sponsored by the school. Senior Charlie Pasciak went with Mr. Patrick McGarry and Mr. Gregory Welch, along with a group of other students, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to work with Habitat for Humanity, while other groups travelled to Iowa City and West Virginia.

“It was a great experience to be able to help people to have a better life,” recalled Pasciak.

Other students chose to dedicate their summers to developing their athletic skills. For example, junior Salvador Valencia competed in a national soccer tournament with his club soccer team in Dallas, Texas, and placed second.

“It was rough to take second after coming so far,” admitted Valencia, “but it was a great experience and I’m proud of my team.”

Other Mount Carmel students went abroad, including the group led by Mandarin teacher Mr. Mark Antonietti which spent 9 days in China, visiting many iconic monuments like the Great Wall, Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Terracotta Army.

“It was a lot of fun to get to see the culture in the country and see all the famous monuments in person,” stated Isaiah Williams ’18.

After four years of hard work, sophomore Cristian Sanchez completed the extensive requirements to become an Eagle Scout, a rank that only 5% of scouts are able to achieve.  One of the last requirements was a community service project, for which Sanchez organized a group of younger scouts to build five new classroom podiums for Mount Carmel.

Sanchez hopes the hard work will pay off in the future.  “It looks great on college applications, and I wanted to impress people with the achievement,” Sanchez stated about his accomplishment.

A month into the school year, students are already swamped with schoolwork and studying. But as we look back on Mount Carmel students’ summertime experiences, we remember all the fun and exciting times that they experienced over the summer and look forward to next summer’s affairs.