By: Steffi Huerta

     On June 7 the mission of nine juniors will begin as they travel to Honduras for two weeks of hard work. For the fifth time in Bishop Dunne history, a group of students has been given the chance to make a change in Honduras.

By: Kelli Grashel

     It’s crazy how just one mistake, at one moment in time, can change a million moments after that. In the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) presentation in February, the organization tried to communicate the horrible effects of drunk driving to the students. Luckily it connected with a few students and inspired them to fight for the cause. Emma Chappell, Andrea Champion, and Alex Dean have recently started a new club here at Bishop Dunne to warn students about the severity and effects of drunk driving.

   

According to Mrs. Torrez, the organizer of the event, many locals are still trying to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Mitch that hit Honduras in 1998. The Bishop Dunne students will travel to Honduras in hope of helping those 90,000 people who were affected by the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season, which caused 26 storms, including 13 hurricanes, seven of which were category three or higher. Students will help with the rebuilding of

local homes and businesses.

     With such a big responsibility, Bishop Dunne made sure they chose the most deserving students who desired to attend the trip. The application process was rigorous, and only nine students will be traveling on this trip. All students were required to submit an application, a medical form, and a two-page essay on why they should be chosen to go to Honduras.

     If chosen, the students had to receive four vaccinations, and two prescribed medications (one of which has to be taken one or two weeks prior to the trip). After all of the paperwork, the final list was made, and  nine lucky students became the chosen ones. The names of these juniors are: Riley Emmons, Monica Domínguez, Christina Gleason, Cecilia Hernandez, Arturo Herrera, Steffi Huerta, Alex Lopez, Anni-Jo Pardo, and Nic Ramos.

     With all this hard work, the question will be, how will this amazing opportunity change the perspective of those traveling to Honduras?

     Cecilia Hernandez, who will be traveling this summer, says, “I think it will help me appreciate what I have, and it will also help me to be more humble.”

     Martin Arista, who traveled last year, says, “It opened my eyes and made me realize the events of the world, and it developed my appreciation for what I have.”

     Hopefully the 2008 Catholic Global Partnership to Honduras will turn out to be the fifth successful trip made to Honduras by the students and chaperones of Bishop Dunne High School.

Honduras is located in the bottom-left corner of the hurricane. Photo courtesy of photobucket.com

     The girls were all very excited to start something that could be so beneficial to the school and even more to the students: “We started the club because we were concerned about our fellow students,” Champion, Chappell, and Dean all agreed.

     “We plan to have fundraisers and support groups where students can come and discuss the effects of drunk driving and how to prevent it,” says sophomore Alex Dean.

     Experiencing a drunk driving accident that was tragic or could have potentially been tragic will scar you forever, whether you’re a driver, a passenger, or an observer. Approximately 6,800,000 crashes occur in the United States each year, but what’s even worse is that an estimated 17,602 people died in alcohol-related traffic crashes last year, according to www.sadd.org.

wanting to make a difference:           “ I have personally seen the effects of drunk driving, and I want to do everything I can to prevent it,” says sophomore Emma Chappell.

     As a member of the club,  I’m excited to see what we can do to prevent drunk driving. I don’t want anyone else to feel the pain and long-lasting sorrow of a drunk-driving accident. We all have different reasons for joining the cause, but we all stand with one voice against drunk driving. Everyone in the club hopes to see new members at the school to stand and speak up with us! Listen for announcements and keep your eyes out for flyers announcing upcoming meetings.

     According to www.madd.org, three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives.      SADD hopes to bring more awareness to this issue. This is a good club to join because you can actually make a difference with the little things and help people, possibly even change someone’s life.    

     “You can really be a good influence on people who need help, not to mention [the fact that] it looks good on a college application,” sophomore Andrea Champion says about why people should join.

     All the members (myself included) have personal reasons for joining and

Don’t drink and drive. Save Lives. Photo Courtesy of photobucket.com