The school year ends in June, but BC High’s "men for others" formation doesn't stop there. This summer, three middle school students found their own ways to serve: at a volleyball court in Cambridge, a food pantry in West Roxbury, and on the water off the coast of Maine.
For most students, volunteering once at a major event would be enough. James has volunteered four years in a row.
Each June since 7th grade, James has shown up at the MA Special Olympics Summer Games at Harvard University to support the volleyball events. This past summer was his fourth year, and the role has grown with him. He ran the scoreboard, helped teams in his assigned division warm up between matches, and was asked to step in as an announcer for one of the matches.
This year, he did well enough that he was asked back to call the gold medal match.
His mother Shannon put it this way: James "continued to be amazed by the hard work, determination, good sportsmanship, and perseverance from both athletes and their families."
Four years of volunteering is just one example of what commitment to service looks like at BC High.
Kyle spent part of his summer volunteering at Rose's Bounty, a food pantry in West Roxbury. He brought his younger brother along and both of them showed up in BC High gear.
Kyle didn't leave the formation he's receiving on Morrissey Boulevard at the door when school ended.
He brought it home to his neighborhood, into his summer, and into how he spends time with his family. His younger brother got to see service modeled for him.
Teddy logged more than 80 hours this summer volunteering at the Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association in Kennebunk, Maine. Most days, that meant heading out on the water with younger kids: helping them look for lobsters and clams, teaching surfing and kayaking, guiding them out to Strawberry Island on their own for the first time.
He wrote about it himself for the school bulletin board: "This summer I learned how to be a man for others. Instead of just doing activities that I like to do, I get to help kids learn, build confidence, and have fun. I like being a leader and making their day better."
That's the Arrupe formation at work, on a kayak off the Maine coast not just in the classroom.
A volleyball court at Harvard. A food pantry in West Roxbury. A beach in Maine. Three students, three very different summers, one consistent instinct: show up for someone else. In the Arrupe Division, students spend two years building this sense of civic responsibility, and these students carried it into their summers.
For families wondering whether BC High's approach to service goes deeper than college application talking points, this is your answer.