By Señor Bronsen Stoltz and Bianca Basone ‘15
An important goal of Archbishop Molloy High School is to make sure students are utilizing what they learned in the classroom and applying their knowledge to the outside world, demonstrated in the school motto, “Non scholae sed vitae.” The collaboration between Señor Bronsen’s Spanish 3 classes and Campus Ministry’s Ms. Lori Wilson is a great example of how students can use what they learn after they graduate!
For the past two weeks, Spanish teacher Señor Bronsen took a break from the traditional class structure of learning Spanish language skills, and instead taught his students how they could use their knowledge of the language to have amazing experiences all around the world. Señor Bronsen explained how to book flights and find accommodations so that they may vacation, study, or even work abroad.
However, as one of the marks of the Marist student is to be an agent of justice and service, the Spanish classes also learned how to utilize their language skills and newfound knowledge of travel in regards to service. As Campus Ministry Director, Ms. Wilson was invited into all five Spanish 3 classes as a guest speaker. She shared with students her volunteer experience in Haiti, Africa, and Mexico, bringing items from these countries into the classroom so students could get an up-close look at the brilliance of other cultures. Being able to speak Spanish can propel Stanners into volunteer and service positions around the world, and not just in English-speaking countries.
When asked about the experience, Señor Bronsen stated, “It’s been a great way for Ms. Lori Wilson to meet over 186 students… and for them to get to know her as well in a more personal way.” Stanners that weren’t too familiar with Campus Ministry now know where her office is and are encouraged to stop by and discover service opportunities locally and abroad that they may not have been aware of. “I can tell from the students’ questions that they were very much engaged, interested, and intrigued. [Their] world view was widen[ed] just a little bit more from this collaboration,” Señor Bronsen proudly stated about this experience. He recommends other teachers invite Ms. Wilson into their classrooms as well so that more students can learn how to get involved in Campus Ministry and find out more about opportunities in which they can utilize their new language skills.