The Path To Positivity
By Brendan O.
After going through some tough times, some Talbot House students, led by their Family Leader Jan Cheripko, decided to re-do the pathway that leads from the House building to the school. The idea was Cheripko’s. After the students got into some trouble, Cheripko thought of a way for them to pay back to their community. The students were Dave M., Nick P., Liam M., Max R., Brendan O. and Yves K.
The day started off with Cheripko and the students cleaning all of the bathrooms in the entire House. They broke up into teams of three and each team cleaned two family’s bathrooms. On hands and knees, the students scrubbed the bathrooms from the floors to the walls, including the sinks and toilets.
After about an hour and a half of cleaning the bathrooms, the students went outside to work on the path. They started their work with little enthusiasm but after working hard they began to enjoy what they were doing.
First, they pulled up the large rocks on both sides of the path. Then they dug holes for all of the rocks and set them back in their spots. They did a lot of digging and brought a lot of rocks from other places to fill the gaps.
The students enjoyed the work so much that they decided to work on the path again the next weekend. This time they brought gravel and laid it on the path. They also planted flowers at the beginning of the path and dug a hole for water drainage.
“The work was long overdue,” said Cheripko. “All the guys worked hard and they hope that kids will respect the work they’ve done.”
This experience gave the students an opportunity to work together in a positive way and showed them that they are able to do the right thing.
“I felt that [re]building the path brought us closer together, and out of the negative vortex that we were trapped in,” said Nick P., “The physical labor brought forth a feeling of absolute togetherness. I am proud to have been a part of that pathway.”
The students are proud of the work that they have done, and they look forward to continuing their work on the pathway in the days to come.
