By Angela Pometto
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 1/22/04)

Students and teachers at Epiphany School in Culpeper have put their faith into action through a school service project that began in September. After Hurricane Isabel, the plight of the poor was brought home for the students. They were able to see for themselves what it would be like to be poor. Before Christmas they raised enough funds to build a house for the poor. They are already half-way toward building a second one.

Barbara Terry, principal, said that the project was inspired after a visit from a spokesman for Food for the Poor. The program works to help people in Jamaica and Haiti. It takes $2,000 to build one home, a goal they met in December.

"This year, the school’s focus was on social justice," said PTO President Alison Windland. In the classroom, students learned about charity, justice and social teaching.

"This is a concrete project for the children," Terry said. The students participated in several different fund-raising activities. Along with a baked good sale, they also had a dress-down day, can collection, media sale and sold banana bark cards. The cards are made in Jamaica and Haiti and sold in the United States. Epiphany chose this to raise money knowing that 1 percent of the profit from these cards went toward the house-building project. The other 99 percent went right back to the people who made the cards.

"We are not just giving a gift but helping the day-to-day income," Terry said. She also admitted that the school would be willing to continue this project in the future as it has received such a strong response.

Windland said that the success of the project points to the "great generosity of the teachers and students at Epiphany."