The community of The Mary Louis Academy (TMLA), Jamaica Estates, has stayed true to its Catholic identity by learning to empathize with those who are undergoing hardships.

The school’s Pax Christi group participated in the 30 Hour Famine sponsored by World Vision, a leading Christian ministry serving nearly 100 million people in need.  Students became one with hungry children worldwide as they fasted for 30 hours.

Students were encouraged to fast for the entire 30 hours. However, any part of a fast was recognized, such as skipping a meal and putting the money toward helping the hungry. Participants could also take part in a techno-fast, by refraining  from the use of technology.

TMLA students designed and painted their own 30 Hour Famine T-shirts for the event. Throughout the fast, they collected nearly $1,000 for the World Vision cause.

This was a continuation of the school’s longstanding tradition of raising money through sponsorships.

Another way in which TMLA continues its Christian calling of love is by encouraging students to be part of one of its nine service homerooms, each of which is dedicated to a social justice theme. The themes include: women, health, environment, poverty, and peace. All the service homerooms approach their theme through education, advocacy, prayer and service.

Under the direction of the program co-ordinator, Ally Gutierrez, and homeroom moderators, students plan and carry out varied types of events and service projects designed to increase the community’s knowledge of their assigned issues and bring about positive change. While they share similar mandates, each homeroom has its own structures and strategies.

Among the service projects the homerooms take part in is serving food at the soup kitchen located at the First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica, every Wednesday.

Students also partook in a  Veterans Day collection of comfort kits, which the school then distributed to the Veterans Affairs hospital in St. Albans.

In order to learn about the struggles of homelessness, students slept outside on the pavement with newspapers and cardboard for protection, through an initiative of Covenant House.

At Christmastime the homerooms sponsored Merry Mailboxes. They collected letters and cards for residents of nursing homes, children’s hospital and the Veterans Affairs hospital.

In February, the students collected jeans for homeless teens.

Now the TMLA community is preparing for the second annual Delete Day, when students take charge of cyberbullying, and the student-run health fair.