What does JEL stand for?

JEL is an acronym for Justice Eco Life. We incorporate three of the most relevant topics today: social justice, environment, and reverence for life, into one club which anyone can join!

How was JEL formed?

JEL was formed out of three clubs: Reverence for Life, Social Justice, and the Environmental Club. These three teams were combined into one club, JEL, in 2019.

In addition to connecting and sharing our viewpoints with others, we get involved in our community, and always have activities planned. It’s crucial to understand our obligations, morals, and values, especially as Catholics. However, it’s also crucial to take action! Here are some examples of the activities we’ve done and some of our future events:

• In September, we built bee boxes in an effort to promote local bee populations. We had so much fun clearing the space, accidentally uncovering worms, and putting the frame together! We can’t wait until we can plant the seeds in spring.

• We visit seniors in the care home. Since we believe in the dignity of all human beings, we should show our appreciation by spending time with the people who have experienced and given the most in life. There’s always something new to learn, another story to be heard, or another board game to be lost!

• We’ve had our Junior Shoreline Clean-up, and our Senior Shoreline Clean-up is planned for the end of February. Trash and littering at beaches is a huge problem. Everyone at JEL wants to do their part in eliminating this problem by attending the Shoreline Clean up and getting rid of the junk to clear up our beaches!

• We have a movie night coming up! All the JEL members are excited for our movie night next week. We’ll be watching “Unplanned”, the true story of Abby Johnson, a woman who worked as a director of Planned Parenthood until a set of events changed her life. Students who participate in the movie night are also writing for a pro-life essay contest based on the movie.

• Every year, we contribute to Anti-bullying day at Holy Cross. For example, last year we made a Kindness tree. Whenever teachers witnessed a student doing an act of kindness they would write it down. The actions were written on colored leaves and filled the tree. It promoted acts of kindness around the school and brought awareness to how bullying could be countered.