Grosse Pointe Farms

Young St. Paul students give back through service

By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « St. Paul Catholic School students in the Young Fives class and their fifth-grade buddies spent a morning last month creating placemats for the homeless visitors who will be coming for an event in March. St. Paul Catholic School students in the Young Fives class and their fifth-grade buddies spent a morning last month creating placemats for the homeless visitors who will be coming for an event in March.

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — When it comes to service projects, even the youngest of St. Paul Catholic School students get to pitch in and learn about what it means to be a part of the community and doing something for those in need.

When the church hosts its Homeless Week program in March and serves more than 950 meals that week, the homeless visitors to the church will have something to brighten their day when they look down at their placemats. The Young Fives class and their fifth-grade buddies worked on a service project last month to create colorful placemats.

“The visitors like them, too, because some of them are quite unique,” Young Fives teacher Marie Calcaterra said of the placemat project.

Service projects are nothing new to St. Paul students.

“For the Young Fives, this will be their first real exposure to a service project,” Calcaterra said.

The younger and older elementary students were working on the project side-by-side. 

“They’re buddies that work together throughout the year,” Calcaterra said. “They love to work with their buddies.”

“Some are putting prayers on them,” she said. “Some of them are just drawing pictures.”

Natalie Boehmer, one of the fifth-grade buddies, said she enjoys working with her younger buddy.

“They’re really sweet and they’re nice,” she said. “It’s just fun.”

As for giving to others, the students have the right idea.

“You should just help out all the time,” Boehmer said. If people didn’t help, she asked, “What would the world be?”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1043.