By CHANTE DIONNE WARREN, Advocate staff writer

Published: Aug 8, 2009 - Page: 4B 

Episcopal High School teachers put their lesson plans aside Friday to roll up their sleeves and paint, serve meals, sort boxed food and visit elderly residents.

“It’s an opportunity to lead by example for our students,” said Michael Davis, upper school math teacher who volunteered to paint and do office work at Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge.

Davis and 100 members of Episcopal High School’s faculty and staff performed a combined 300 service hours. The work was done for nine human services organizations at 12 locations throughout Baton Rouge Friday, said Noëll Parnell, admissions and marketing director. The service program, in its second year, was initiated by Kay Betts, headmaster with Episcopal.

Teachers and staff volunteered at agencies including the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall and the Hospice of Baton Rouge.

Community service is part of the school’s overall mission, Parnell said. Episcopal High students are required to perform 100 hours of service work before graduating. School officials are expecting 980 students to begin classes at Episcopal on Wednesday, Parnell said.

Students in lower grades also participate in annual service projects, said Nicole Roberts, a fourth-grade teacher at Episcopal who volunteered at Cancer Services. Episcopal has students from pre-K to 12th grade.

“One act can touch one person,” Roberts said she often tells her students.

History teacher Pete Longeway helped spruce up several offices at Cancer Services where he said his wife has received health-care supplies, including a wig.

“My wife received services here. She had breast cancer and it has been cured,” he said.

Helping Cancer Services gave Nancy Griffin, a fourth-grade teacher, time to reflect.

“I think more about the agency and the mission and it made me more aware of how they were helping the community,” she said.

Cancer Services volunteer coordinator Cindi Tramonte was relieved to get the help.

“Priceless,” she said. “The relationship between Episcopal and Cancer Services reinforces that community bond. Without volunteers, we couldn’t do the things we do.”

Tramonte said the Cancer Services helps about 5,000 cancer patients annually through various support and education programs, children’s programs, equipment and supply services, and prescription assistance.

Five volunteers gathered to paint and perform handy work at Jubilee House, a Catholic Refugee Program on Glenmore Drive.

Paul Taranto, Episcopal band director, helped paint the porch area.

“I think we get more out of it than the people we help. It’s rewarding,” he said.

Jackie Aguilar, assistant administrator of Catholic Charities — the program that sponsors the refugee families, said the spruce-up work will make residents’ stay comfortable.

“We try to have everything ready for them and we try to accommodate them,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar is expecting families from Africa and Cuba next week. Those families will be greeted at the airport, fed a meal and housed at Jubilee for about a week until they can find permanent housing, she said.