BY RACHEL FERRARI
Staff Writer

Most high school students envision a spring break spent relaxing by the pool, but the members of the Vision Club would rather spend it laboring under a hot Mississippi sun.

Each year, the club does service projects to help that area recover from the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The annual trip is organized by retired English teacher Richard Yount and lasts seven days during the spring.

This year, volunteers worked on a variety of tasks, including painting, plumbing, building decks, and installing air conditioning for a church in the town of Bay St. Louis.

Principal Dr. Walter Graves joined the trip this year. He led a team of students who worked on plumbing, doors, windows, and stairs.

“I really enjoyed being with the students and getting to know them better,” Graves said, “They were great representatives of our school.”

Graves said he initially decided to join the trip because his son, junior Russell Graves, was interested in going, saying that “this was a nice opportunity to do something school-sponsored together.”

The worst part of the trip was the bugs, Graves said.

“The gnats were terrible. We all had welts on our arms and legs and faces,” he said.

Though it’s a lot of work, the trip isn’t totally devoid of fun.

“The last Friday we were there, we had a bonfire on the beach and on Saturday we toured the French Quarter in New Orleans,” senior Dustin Shore said.

“It was all fun. I actually enjoyed working more than going to New Orleans,” Shore said.

The volunteers also went to a local restaurant called The Ugly Pirate for trivia night on Thursday, junior Maddie Pacella said.

Of the whole trip, “The bonfire was the most fun,” she said, adding that it was a major group-bonding moment.

“I knew maybe six people originally, but now I know everyone who went,” Pacella said.

The students are always trained with the necessary tools before beginning work. This was Shore’s second year hearing that information.

“I didn’t have any building experience before last year,” Shore said. “It was just like a mini-woodshop class, and it gave a brief overview of the tools we’d be using.”

The plane trip to Mississippi was Pacella’s first time flying.

“It wasn’t scary. We just ended up playing cards on the plane, and it was cool that we were recognized by all the pilots for doing the trip,” she said.