Students volunteer in Montana

BY EMMA STENZEL
Cardinal Staff

This past Thanksgiving break, eight students from Saint Mary’s University traveled to Browning, Mont. to work with the De La Salle Blackfeet School located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The weeklong service trip, lasting from Nov. 20-28, was led by senior Bill Duffert and sophomore Cullen Gibbons, volunteer mentors, and faculty member Rob Gordan, assistant professor of computer science.

The group was involved in a variety of service projects throughout their trip, Gibbons said. They helped teachers in the classrooms by tutoring and spending time with the kids.

“The whole Blackfeet community was very welcoming,” Gibbons said. “The kids seemed to really enjoy us being there, and we had a lot of fun spending time with them as well.”

In addition to working in the classroom, students helped the Christian Brothers with assorted tasks like painting the school walls and digging trenches. They also celebrated Thanksgiving by serving a meal at the school and a nearby shelter, Gibbons said.

However, it was not all work for the volunteers. Gibbons said that they were able to enjoy the sights of Montana while hiking through Glacier National Park and visiting buffalo jumps.

Overall, the trip was successful, Gibbons said. The volunteer group helped the Brothers accomplish their goal of showing kids the importance of education and the possibilities that lie outside of the Blackfeet Reservation.