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STUDENTS LIVE OUT JESUIT IDEALS IN THE COMMUNITY From the first day that a student steps foot on the campus of Rockhurst High School, Freshman Orientation Day, their objective over the next four years is made clear: form into men defined by the qualities of the Graduate at Graduation: religious, loving, open to growth, intellectually competent, and committed to justice. Simply put, being a “man for others."
FRESHMAN DAY OF SERVICE
SWIM & DIVE TEAM’S CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER
The process of instilling this mindset into Rockhurst’s youngest students begins immediately, as they participate in a Freshman Day of Service the day after orientation. The students are assigned to one of several community organizations across the city, both indoors and outdoors, to lend a hand to neighbors. Agencies assisted this year included KC Parks & Recreation, Brush Creek cleanup, Avenue of Life, W.E.B. DuBois Learning Center, Crosslines Outreach, Kanbe’s Markets, KCK Police Athletic League, and more. The Class of 2026 took part in a second Freshman Day of Service in the spring. Alan Ratermann, Rockhurst’s Director of Ignatian Service Programs, says that for the 202223 school year, the entire freshman class will participate in four Days of Service. As students progress through the ranks of Rockhurst, they are given ample opportunities to continue serving the community. Student groups such as the Regis Club, Human Dignity Club, Student Diversity Union, and individual sports teams organize community service efforts. One student club devoted to serving others is the St. Joseph of Arimathea Society. Team members serve as pallbearers for men and women with no known family or friends to lay them to rest. In the last year, groups of around 15 students have spent part of their day at Mt. Olivet Cemetery performing the Corporal Work of Mercy of burying the dead. Between the two ceremonies, they honored the cremations of nearly 200 men and women.
ST. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA SOCIETY
REGIS CLUB
“In burying the dead it’s one of the truest ways to honor someone; honor their lives, honor what they went through. And then just to love them,” said Branden Guzman '22. Each year, a delegation of students and moderators represents Rockhurst at March For Life, the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world, which opposes the practice and legality of abortion. In January 2022, there were 16 students and two teachers who attended the 49th annual March For Life in Washington, D.C. They joined some 50,000 other supporters of life in a peaceful march up Constitution Avenue to the steps of the Supreme Court. The service aspect of the Rockhurst experience culminates with the Senior Service Projects. A tradition since for more than 40 years, seniors spend three weeks of their final semester offering their talents and treasures at a local community agency. In recent years, seniors also have the option to attend a Total Ignatian Experience (TIE) trip in Tijuana or Guatemala for the service projects. “Visitors to Rockhurst High School often ask me what makes the Ignatian Service Office particularly ‘Ignatian’. While the heart of our Christian faith seeks to form young men in the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, we have the opportunity to also learn from the faith traditions handed down from Ignatius and other leaders of the Society of Jesus,” said Ratermann. “Through selfless service, our students enact our charge to be ‘men for others.' The old adage ‘it is in giving that you receive’ certainly applies; however, our students are witnesses to the power of love when we meet Christ in those we accompany. Our service work remains rooted in the reality that all human life has dignity and is sacred. When our students apply what they learn in class around Kansas City, the city and our students’ hearts move closer to welcoming the Kingdom of God.”
