BSM Students Empowered to Think, Lead, and Serve

By Elle Sinning ’24 and Julia Lealos ’24, BSM EPIC Marketing & Communications Interns

As a Catholic high school, Benilde-St. Margaret’s teaches students the importance of giving back to the community. As part of the core curriculum, students take a discipleship class that focuses on the importance of living out their faith through service.

In their junior year, Discipleship in Society challenges Red Knights to put their faith into action through volunteerism. Students partner with an organization where they serve 25 hours over the course of the semester. The class focuses on hands-on service, with students working in soup kitchens, nursing homes, animal shelters, daycares, and more. Ms. Garcia-Eveloff, one of the teachers for the class, along with Ms. Hodapp, noted that the class is “a way of engaging with the world. It means seeing your responsibility to your community -- starting with your family and extending to all of God's creation.” Ms. Garcia-Eveloff went on to share how the class emphasizes other important values taught in the Catholic Church, “It's about learning to live with the recognition that we are all made in the image and likeness of God and, as such, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

A student in the class, Olivia Kinney ’24, decided to volunteer at Park Nicollet Hospital
where she helps serve food to patients. Kinney reflected on how she has gotten out of
her comfort zone thanks to her volunteer position. “This class encouraged me to
help out others in ways I wouldn’t have before,” Kinney shared. The class is unique
to BSM because it pairs out-of-school service learning with in-class work. “I hope it
makes theology meaningful and relevant for our students,” Ms. Garcia-Eveloff said.
“I also hope students learn that it is always possible to fit in service for others
despite their busy schedules.”

While in class, students reflect on their service and connect it to the seven principles
of Catholic Social Teaching: The Dignity of the Human Person; Call to Family,
Community, and Participation; The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers; Option for
the Poor and Vulnerable; Solidarity; Care for Creation; and Rights and Responsibilities. Garcia-Eveloff’s hope is that students live out the sending forth that students hear at Mass: “The Mass is never ended, it must be lived."

This class gives students a chance to experience the rewards and challenges of serving their community while delving into the Catholic Social Teachings. We’re #BSMproud of our students for using this class as a foundation to weave service into the rest of their lives.