More than 8,000 miles separate St. Xavier High School on Poplar Level Road from St. Xavier High School in Bungoma, Kenya, but the Xaverian spiritual values and desire for students and teachers to build relationships keep them connected.
Rosanna Vessels, a technology teacher at St. Xavier, traveled to St. Xavier in Bungoma from May 29 to June 10 to find ways to strengthen the collaboration and relationship between the schools.
‘I’ve always wanted to connect my students with students around the world. The goal is for them to see how alike we are despite miles that separate us.’
— Rosanna Vessels
Vessels traveled with Deacon Scott Haner and his wife, JoAnn, who are supporters of the Kenyan school, said Vessels. Deacon Haner serves at St. Patrick Church.
“I’ve always wanted to connect my students with students around the world,” said Vessels in a recent interview. “The goal is for them to see how alike we are despite miles that separate us; to see the Xaverian mission we share and to get to know each other on a deeper level.”
St. Xavier in Bungoma is a Xaverian-sponsored boarding school led by Xaverian Brother Raphael Wanjala. It was opened in 2018 and educates 141 boys from that city and surrounding areas, Vessels said.
Her students and those in Bungoma have gotten to know each other through virtual meetings where they talk about everything from sports and food to culture and grades, she noted.
The Bungoma students have even had the opportunity to connect with members of St. Xavier’s Black Student Union. Vessels said her students expressed interest in connecting more frequently, so she’s created a pen-pal program that matches students here with students in Bungoma. The pen-pals communicate via email, she noted.
Teachers, too, are connecting. Teachers, particularly those in the business and technology departments, are meeting virtually to share ideas and resources, Vessels said.
“My goal is to collaborate on projects,” she said, noting that planning is underway.
While in Bungoma, Vessels said she attended Mass with the student body.
“To see the boys singing, dancing and participating was extremely moving,” she said. “You’ve not been to Mass until you’ve been to Mass in Africa.”
She also connected with members of the faculty.
“I met with faculty and talked about their hopes and dreams and how we can connect better,” she said.
Vessels also spent time in the classroom with students. She taught a class on the Xaverian values of humility, simplicity, compassion, trust and zeal.
“What value is their strength and how can they build on that in their community?” she asked students. “The discussions were very rich. They explored the depths of the topic and came up with a scenario showing the value at work. They were creative.”
She also challenged the young men to think of the value they need to work on and to find ways to keep that value alive in their lives, she said.
Vessels said the students value their education and love to learn. They asked for novels, so Vessels gathered dozens of books, as well as five iPads, which she presented to them.
“They know (education) it’s their ticket out of poverty. They value it and know it’s a gift,” she said.
