By Kathi Stearns

For the students of St. Pius X High School, service is not simply a subject they read about on religion textbooks. Quite the contrary, to St. Pius students, faculty and administrators, service is a verb implying action and personal growth.

Directed by Sister Mary Kay Finneran, SC, and Pat O'Connell, Saint Pius' outreach program, a division of campus ministry, provided students with an opportunity to hear speakers from 24 service organizations in which youth participation is needed. Organizations such as the Atlanta Project, Atlanta Community Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul, Habitat for Humanity and St. Francis Table were represented at the Sept. 24 assembly.

Principal Donald T. Sasso said service plays an essential role in Catholic education. "When one truly speaks of Catholic education, as defined by church teachings and doctrine, the church defines three essential components. They are message, community and service. For education to be truly Catholic, service must be included. We are not here for ourselves; we are here for others..."

The guest speakers stressed the importance of youth involvement in service activities. Linda Hegarty, a speaker from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cancer Home, stated, "It is crucial that the youth of today become more involved in service. It is such a 'me' generation now that they need to be aware of people who are less fortunate than they are ... and realize that whatever you give you get back ten-fold."

Guest speaker Brian Durham, who spoke to a group of students about Father Richard Ho Lung's Brothers of the Poor in Jamaica, also stressed the need to reach out to the youth of today. "They have an energy and passion about them; if we can utilize their energy to work with the poor, we have established a good foundation for service."

In 1987 St. Pius made performing acts of service a part of its religion curriculum.

Freshmen and sophomores are required to complete five service hours each semester, while juniors and seniors are expected to complete 10. If they do not complete the appropriate number of service hours, their final religion grade is dropped by a letter.

Students agree that the threat of losing a letter grade affected their initial involvement in service, but felt that once they completed their freshmen service requirements, the practice of performing service became more habitual and natural. "I think people enjoy it once they get started. However, I don't know if students would take the individual initiative necessary if the possibility of a grade falling wasn't hanging over their head," sophomore Heather Schneider explained.

The students, faculty and administration agree that the skills they are trying to instill in these students are not just skills for today, but skills for the rest of their lives. "Being a Catholic school we are not self-contained, we have to look out for the other members of our community. We hope that our students are developing life-long skills in a safe environment and that they may grow to make the act of service a lifelong commitment. Yet if we hadn't exposed them to these opportunities, they may never have tried," Ruth McCullough, dean of students, said.

The message which St. Pius is sending to its students has been received, and the students have responded and continue to respond. This year St. Pius had over 200 students participate in the Hunger Walk Sept. 26. Students work at the St. Francis Table soup kitchen each month, and they were the first high school in the state of Georgia to construct a house for Habitat for Humanity in conjunction with Marist, Pace Academy, The Westminster Schools, and The Lovett School in December 1992.