Program Objectives

“A Jesuit school develops programs through which students experience what it means to labor with and for others in solidarity, building a more just and equitable world breaking through circumstantial disparities to know the other as self.”

Our Way of Proceeding: Standards & Benchmarks for Jesuit Schools in the 21st Century

Objectives:

• Students will walk in kinship with those who are economically disadvantaged, marginalized, and excluded.
• Students will continue the development of habits of reflection and social analysis that enable them to become advocates of social change based on Gospel values. 
• Students will learn about issues of ecological stewardship and solidarity with creation. 
• Students will participate in programs that integrate faith, justice, and Catholic Social Teaching, and draw connections between their other classes, co-curricular activities, and interests. 
• Students will articulate their place, locally, regionally, nationally, and globally in an interconnected world and global network of Jesuit education. 
• Students will amplify to their communities the voices of those they encountered on immersion.

These objectives are drawn from Our Way of Proceeding: Standards & Benchmarks for Jesuit Schools in the 21st Century, which guides our work as a Jesuit school. 

Health & Safety Protocol

In order to promote group health and the well-being of those in the communities where we will serve, the following protocol will be in place for all immersion participants:

• Standard mitigation measures: masking when indoors and in transit, frequent hand washing, maximized ventilation when possible, and physical distancing when possible. (Given the nature of immersions, it is often not possible to maintain 6 feet of distance between individuals. Sleeping arrangements often rely on using shared spaces.)
• A full sequence of Covid-19 vaccine is strongly recommended for all participants.
• Sierra Service Project requires a negative rapid antigen test within 24 hours of departure and all participants retest mid-week.
• We will travel with at-home rapid antigen tests to screen participants who develop symptoms while on site. 
• Consistent with immersion policies prior to the pandemic, any student who violates the Student-Parent Handbook or becomes ill will need to be escorted home by a parent within 24 hours of parent notification. The responsibility for covering any associated costs falls to families.