The Spire

Lizzie Swanson ‘28

News Editor

This past week, 125 Holy Cross students set out across the country, participating in the school’s Spring Break Immersion Program. There were 17 different locations this year, spanning from areas as close as Boston all the way to Washington state. Students apply to be a part of the program in the fall semester and are placed in a mystery location which will be revealed at the highly coveted “Reveal Night,” this year occuring on Jan. 26. Participants and student leaders alike gathered in Seelos Theater to meet their groups for the first time and learn more information about what they will be doing over the break. Student groups are typically made up of four to 11 students, promoting a tight knit community many students hope to bring back to campus. The group of students is led by a student leader who is typically a junior or senior and has gone on a SBIP trip before. The last day of classes, this year on Feb. 28, marked the SBIP Kick-off dinner, held in Kimball Hall. This was yet another opportunity for groups to meet and introduce themselves, preparing for their trip. Students were quick to leave campus, as the earliest departure left for Whitley City, Kentucky at 2:45 am on Saturday from Hogan 3. This author, a member of the Whitley City group, was excited to embark on this excursion despite the early morning departure. Groups trickled out from campus on Saturday March 1, and Sunday March 2. Travel for all groups mainly consisted of plane rides and rental cars depending on their location.

There are four types of SBIP sites students could travel to: L’Arche, Sustainability, Appa, and Special (Urban) Sites. L’Arche is an international organization which helps connect those with intellectual disabilities with people from other parts of the world. Sustainability sites are typically local farms which help introduce and teach students about the intersection between ecology and human impact on the planet. Appa sites are located in the Appalachian region (Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia) and help enlighten students about issues like rural poverty and homelessness by embarking on projects which involve building a structure in the community. Special sites have a large variety but are often based in urban locations and teach students about concepts like racial justice, the education system, and urban poverty and homelessness. 

SBIP is over 50 years old and first started in 1976 when a van of Holy Cross students traveled to Kentucky for the first time. The Jesuit principle, “men and women for and with others” is at the cornerstone of SBIP. The program especially highlights the with others aspect, as students look to immerse themselves in the communities they are placed in. One aspect of SBIP which helps to connect students with the local communities is the “simply living” aspect of the trip. This year, many students slept on the floor or on narrow church pews. Some students were given $16 to make a meal which could feed a group of four people. These types of exercises and living conditions help put things in perspective for students who are unfamiliar with uncomfortable living situations. These powerful and eye opening experiences left students wondering what their place is in not just in their own communities, but in the world. 

At the Kick-off dinner this year, student leaders reflected on what they hoped participants would get out of the experience. They wished that students would have the “ungreat experience” which they had had. They hoped that living in discomfort and learning about hopeless issues facing our nation would open their hearts and minds. They wished that the trip would not be picture or Instagram worthy, but instead humbling and impactful. They hoped that the “ungreat experience” was so ungreat, that students would be unable to contain themselves when telling friends and family about how great the experience was. 

As students returned to campus on Friday, March 8, many were excited for what laid in store for them. Kimball Hall welcomed back the students the following night for a “Welcome Back” dinner. Following the dinner, several school buses transported students to Bowlero Worcester, just down the road. Students spent some of their final moments with their group, knocking down pins and making memories. The Spring Break Immersion Program, orchestrated by the Chaplain’s office encourages all students to consider participating in SBIP in the years to come.

Featured images courtesy of Lizzie Swanson, Ashley Stracco, and Noah Smith

Copy Edited by Lilly Baumfeld ’27