Working all week and praying on Friday, the freshmen at Mount Carmel had a lot on their plate during this years’ Freshman Impact Week, which took place during the week of September 21-25.  Instead of regular classes, freshmen learned about various environmental issues and offered their service to different sites around Chicagoland.

One of the service sites was Indiana Dunes, where freshmen participated in the important task of wetland reclamation. This requires many man hours and stamina to rip out overgrowth and unwanted vegetation in the dunes; that Mount Carmel students contributed almost 400 to those tasks is significant.  Their efforts went hand in hand with the theme for the week which was “Caring for God’s Creation.”

Other groups went to various locations around the Chicago area, including Jackson Park, the Dorchester Botanical Garden, and “Stir the Pot.” This latter organization is made up of a community of gardeners who maintain over 100 community of gardens around Chicago. There, the men of MC had the task of weeding and planting many new flowers and vegetables.  Several groups also learned about recycling through a tour of Homewood Recycling Center.

In addition to the service they provided, freshmen also had the opportunity to learn about various environmental issues.  Dr. Dawn Nothwehr of Catholic Theological Union spoke about Pope Francis’s recent encyclical, “Lodato Si.” Other speakers included MC alum Dr. Joseph O’Gallagher, a retired University of Chicago faculty member, who addressed the topic of climate change, and a team of speakers from DLR Consultants who spoke about constructing environmentally friendly buildings.

The Impact Week program, which is a unique feature of Carmelite schools across the country, offers release time from the regular academic program to enable students to have an intensive experience of service-learning and reflection.  In addition to the freshman week, juniors will participate in a week-long exploration of “Solidarity with Human Suffering” from January 25-29, while the sophomore week, focused on “Hunger and Poverty,” will take place February 29 to March 4.

Each Impact Week concludes with a day of reflection and class liturgy, led by Campus Minister Greg Welch and MC President Fr. Tony Mazurkiewicz.

For more information about this exciting program, contact Mr. Welch ([email protected]).