Being a person of service is part of the Chaminade Julienne mission and is at the very heart of the CJ community. Over the course of four years at CJ, students are provided with many different types of service learning opportunities that align with students’ interests and passions. At CJ, each grade level participates in service. During their junior year, students commit to 25 hours of volunteer work helping organizations in the Dayton region.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, CJ held a service fair for the class of 2026 that featured many of the school’s 50 partner organizations, allowing students to connect with the kinds of service projects that would have special meaning to them. This component of service is part of the Integrated Social Justice Research Project (ISJRP) that also requires students to write a ten-page reflection on their experience. ISJRP is a cross-curricular project co-supported by the English, religion, and ministry and service departments.
To help prepare students for their visit with the many representatives who attended the event, Karen Emmerich, religion teacher and ISJRP coordinator, instructed the students to consider the time commitment involved and to follow their passion versus doing whatever their friends are doing. Another consideration for juniors to think about as they made their decision of where to serve was the particular organization’s mission.
“Over the years, so many CJ students have found a passion and even a vocation in their work out in the community,” Emmerich said. “The skills our students develop in the ISJRP and their Capstone projects make it possible for them to engage, even before they leave CJ, as effective servants and advocates in the communities where they find themselves.”
Katie Klein, the Glen at St. Joseph’s volunteer coordinator, was excited to be invited to participate in this year’s junior service fair.
“We always enjoy working with CJ students at the Glen at St. Joseph,” said Klein. “They always go above and beyond, whether volunteering at our Halloween party or tutoring elementary students. We can count on them being ready to take on whatever task they are given.”
John Blust ‘26 said, “It was very cool to see all the different service opportunities in one spot. I’m ready to get started.”
Emmerich has witnessed how through these service experiences, CJ students become lifelong learners who are service-oriented, and people full of faith, compassion, and integrity.