Article by Lilian Stern ’22:
On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, members of Kellenberg’s Rowing team traveled to make a difference. After a forty-five-minute bus ride, the team gathered at the entrance of the Queen of Peace Residence located in Queens, NY. Coach Eliopoulos comments, “…Partaking in a Service Over Self mission, is an anticipated part of Kellenberg athletics, because it promotes team bonding but also allows a mindset bigger than self.”
The coaches, Mr. Lyons and Mrs. Eliopoulos, who were also joined by Brother Michael, quite literally gave their athletes the tools to revamp the residents’ landscaping. The student-athletes were supplied with trowels, shovels, fertilizer, impatiens and hydrangeas. Lauren DeRiggi, a sophomore, had the utmost confidence in her teammates’ performance: “We spent so much time together this season, and communication is a very important aspect in Crew. It was very easy to work with everyone because of all the time we spent together this season.”
Rowers are not afraid of nature as the sport takes place on the waters. Andrea Kules, a sophomore coxswain, shares, “My favorite part was definitely planting the flowers; I had a lot of fun and I love the dirt. Personally, I enjoyed myself a lot. I also was able to direct where the flowers went so it was nice to take a little bit of charge while still working as a team.” The Crew team’s male MVP, Miles Francisque, shares the same passion as his teammate: “…placing the new flowers in allowed me to see how beautiful nature was. By sprucing up things around the property, the residents have something nice to look at while they’re taking a walk outside; they also have a beautiful place to sit and relax if they want to.”
The outdoor furniture needed an update so the residents can have a place to enjoy the benefits of the team’s hard work. Freshman, Maddison Robb, was happy to help. “I helped out with cleaning the spring furniture for the Sisters. We made a sort of assembly line to scrub, then dry the chairs. While I was working I spoke with some of the nuns about where they were originally from and how they came to be nuns.” Overall, the nuns really enjoyed talking with the volunteers about their college plans. Vincent DiPalo, a sophomore rower, felt gratitude while conversing with the senior residents, “I mostly just thanked them for letting our team come help.” He continued to note that the team’s communication skills vastly improved that day.
The improved Queen of Peace Residence is now lined with red, pink, and white impatiens. It was shocking to the residents how such a wide variety of people came together to update their landscaping. Sister Patrice loved how respectful the students were. Another resident, Elizabeth Anne, dedicated a rosary prayer service to the team in order to express her thankfulness. After three hours of labor, the athletes needed to refuel. The sisters were happy to provide homemade ice tea and refreshments.
Senior rower, Victor Gallo, was grateful for a different reason, he shares, “When I joined Crew four years ago, I stuck predominantly with guys my own age. During the service project, I felt that I got to know the underclassmen members of the boy’s team better.” The coaches are very proud of how well the athletes represented the Kellenberg Crew Team. Hopefully, the residents can sit back and enjoy their newly transformed outdoor oasis.