Roncalli students called to service

By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor

	Catholic Schools Week Jan. 29 - Feb. 4, 2006
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Manitowoc's Roncalli High School offers nine different sports for both boys and girls.

Fine arts activities at the school range from jazz ensemble to the Christmas variety show.

But when it comes to extracurricular activities, Lasallian Youth, Roncalli's service organization, stands out as the school's largest with 75% of the student population participating.

"We average between 4,000 to 5,000 hours of service a year," said Campus Minister Sara Masarik, who coordinates the Lasallian Youth efforts. "Considering we don't have a service requirement and we have less than 300 students, the amount of hours served by our students is very significant. We hope to exceed last year's total of 4,500 by more than 500 hours this year, so 5,001 is the goal."

Roncalli, which was founded in 1965, has been served by the de LaSalle Christian Brothers and the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity during its entire 40-year history. Lasallian Youth operates in the spirit of St. John Baptist de la Salle, said Masarik.

"He empowered youth to make a difference in the world," she said. "It's meeting people's needs. Our service is a very direct ministry. We baby sit for the Autism society while the parents are in workshops. We make Valentines for shut-ins. Some of our students put on a talent show for senior citizens. We work in the pantries and rake lawns accepting no money, no donations without a required service component."

Masarik describes coordinating Lasallian Youth as an "awesome challenge that is a lot of fun." The 18 students in her homeroom serve as Lasallian Youth officers.

Service extends beyond the Manitowoc area. Five mission trips are available for students each year including service projects in Chicago, participating in Fr. Richard Klingheisen's Appalachian Outreach and assisting at San Juan Diego Middle School in Racine, a San Miguel school supported by the de LaSalle Christian Brothers.

"The school is for children who did not make it at other schools," said Masarik. "They were expelled from other schools or left before expulsion. These are kids with behavioral and emotional problems. The school tries to target individualized learning and target those problems. Br. Michael Kadow (FSC), who was at Roncalli, is very influential at that school. Twice a year we send students down there to stay overnight and serve as tutors for the students. It's a great experience."

This summer, Roncalli will host the Midwest Congress for the Lasallian schools. Approximately 150 students from such cities as Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Tulsa, will gather in Manitowoc.

"They will stay in the classrooms," said Masarik. "The students will run a camp for developmentally disabled adults during the day. We will bring in speakers at night. One day, we will take everyone to the Wisconsin State Fair. Roncalli is the last rural Lasallian school, so we thought about taking the kids to a farm, but the Fair is a better option. They may not have been too enthused about seeing a farm."

In addition to retreat ministry and coordinating service opportunities, Masarik serves in recruitment at Roncalli. She said Lasallian Youth is attractive to prospective students because it offers opportunities to get involved immediately.

"When you are one from Kewaunee or one of two students from Brillion, this can seem like a big place," she said. "They don't have to sit on their hands waiting to see where they fit in. They can come to Lasallian Youth. If you find some type of service you are interested in, you will find people who share your interests."