Last Spring, Menaul School student volunteers helped the White Rock Presbyterian Church (WRPC) build a labyrinth for members of the Presbytery and the wider community. Labyrinths have a long history of providing a place for solace, meditation and reflection. This contribution was recently featured in the Los Alamos Reporter, celebrating the opening of the site and the positive impact the work both WRPC and Menaul School volunteers has already had on the community.
Our Chaplain, Rev. Hannah Scanlon, weighed in:
“Mission week is one of my favorite weeks of the school year because it gives our student body the opportunity to put our beliefs to work. Every spring, our high school students are taken out of classroom to learn through service and giving back to our communities.
Each grade, 9-12, goes on a planned service learning trip with their class. The ninth grade usually remains in the city of Albuquerque, helping local charities, non-profits, and churches, the Sophomore and Junior classes are taken throughout the state, assisting communities a little further away from the school and sometimes incorporating an overnight trip. The Senior class is usually taken out of state for their service learning trip, giving them the opportunity to bond as a class while learning about the importance of spending time and resources to contribute to communities further away from home.
In the Spring of 2023, part of our Junior class mission week trip was to spend a day helping White Rock Presbyterian Church to construct their prayer labyrinth, which is now open to the public! Menaul Juniors were able to learn about what a prayer labyrinth is and how it functions, while also assisting the church in a meaningful way!”
Thanks, Rev. Scanlon, for continuing to support these amazing community outreach projects for Menaul students!