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Senior dedicates his time to the community
(by Erin Patricia Griffiths - June 04, 2008)
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Staff Photo by Erin Patricia Griffiths
Brian Walters’ dedication to serving others has earned him the respect of his peers and the administration of
Saint Joseph
Regional
High School .
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Brian Walters, like so many students his age, is preparing to graduate from high school and move on to college this fall. But it is his dedication to others in community service that separates him from the crowd of seniors he joined in cap and gown at graduation on May 25 at
Saint Joseph
Regional
High School .
Walters has embraced the concept of serving others by taking on many different roles, lending a hand to both children and peers. He works as an organist for
St. John the Baptist in Hillsdale, where he teaches a summer music class for more than 600 children enrolled in the religious education program. Walters says of the experience, “Its pretty cool. Not too many kids know too much about the music, and then by the end of the week, they are all singing away. It makes me feel pretty good that I could do something like that.”
Working with children is a main focus for Walters in his community service. In addition to teaching music camp at St. John’s, he travels with the Marist brothers, who facilitate the activities of Saint Joseph Regional’s campus ministry group, to Esopus, N.Y. each summer to take care of the underprivileged inner-city children brought up to the Hudson Valley from the Bronx. He helps out in the kitchen, preparing hundreds of meals several times a day to nourish the active children who enjoy playing at the camp. Last summer, Walters continued to volunteer at the camp despite suffering from mononucleosis, and reflects on his choice to continue staying the full week of camp saying, “It is stressful, but I think the kids appreciated it, whether they knew I was sick or not.”
At school, Walters was actively involved with the campus ministry group, organizing retreat teams that go out to different grammar schools and some high schools, running confirmation and other religious retreats. Additionally, he has been a member of the Big Brother program, which pairs senior students with freshman to help ease their transition into high school. Despite all of his many service and extracurricular activities, Walters still finds time to offer tutoring services to his peers in both math and Spanish.
Walters is also very involved in theater, and has held the starring role in
Saint Joseph ’s musical productions for the past four years. He is the only student from
New Jersey who has been nominated for both Helen Hayes and Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star awards this year. Recently, he participated in the school’s first drama in 15 years.
In the fall, Walters plans to attend
Pace
University in
Manhattan, N.Y. to study musical theater. He intends to join campus ministry and continue serving the community in different capacities as he has done in the past. Although excited about the new stage in his life he is entering, Walters is sad to be leaving high school. He attributes much of his success to Saint Joseph Regional and says of the school, “It has changed my life. I cannot thank them enough for giving me everything they’ve given me.”
In honor of his service to others, Walters was awarded the Caring Award from the Bergen County Professional Counselors Association.
Erin Patricia Griffiths' e-mail address is GriffithsE@northjersey.com.
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