The summer may have been a break from school work for St. Edmund Prep students, but they continued to work hard to provide corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

For the fourth summer in a row, students from the Sheepshead Bay high school spent a week in Philadelphia volunteering with the St. Vincent de Paul Center for Young Adult Service Experiences.

Eighteen students participated in the program, a new record for the school. The Prep now also has the distinction of being the first school to ever send two separate groups to the center.

Students and faculty worked together at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, daycare centers, retirement homes, senior centers, thrift shops, construction sites and at the center itself, assisting some of Philadelphia’s most marginalized communities. The faith-filled service of these members of the Prep community became a reminder that five days really can change the world, one person at a time.

The first group to visit Philadelphia was led by math teacher Chris Wright and his wife Joanne, a secretary in the school’s Development Office. The students included: William Albert, Samantha Balloqui, Joseph Bianco, Bryant Gonzaga, Jelisa Isaac, Madeline Mule, Rebecca Nelson, Gabrielle Richards-Hinds and Julian Torrecampo.

The second group was led by program coordinators Marie Geraci, math teacher, and Phil Fama, art teacher. They were joined by English teacher Jim Grillo and Mark Amatrucola, director of technology.

Kevin Raphael, assistant principal, also made an appearance to cheer on the students, including: Joshua Alexander, Sabrina Bressi, Naomi Charles, Bryant Chin, Joann Claude, Matthew Dalto, Brittanie Fils, Paul Fraschilla and Alicia Stankiewicz.