Release: Immediate
Contact: Stephen Roulier or Barbara Campanella

WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE STUDENTS TO HEAD FOR BRIGHT ALTERNATIVE DURING SPRING BREAK

SPRINGFIELD, MA… Three groups of Western New England College students will participate in the Alternative Spring Break program from March 9 to 17. One team of students will travel to Fontana, North Carolina to explore environmental issues while doing trail clean up and trail restoration along the Appalachian Trail. Another group will investigate Native American issues in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The third team will commit to local affordable housing issues. This group will stay local to work with Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing for Greater Springfield residents.

The trips are sponsored by the office of Learning Beyond the Classroom at Western New England College. In addition to donating their time and energy, the students have participated in extensive fundraising and will each contribute a portion of the expenses. The College is also subsidizing the trips as part of its continuing commitment to the learning beyond the classroom initiative.

We are very excited at the student response to this year's alternative spring break program," said Adina Elfant, director of Learning Beyond the Classroom. "The trips will offer the participants a powerful learning experience as they provide service to a community. After the week of service, we will provide an opportunity for those students to reflect on the

experience, the issues they confronted, and their learning from this experience. The Alternative Spring Break program is a wonderful example of the value added to education through experiential learning."

The team traveling to Fontana, North Carolina includes: Colleen Dolbec of Newfield, ME, Daniel Smith of Enfield, CT, Charlene Moody of Pembroke, NH, Lauren Veglia of Mount Sinai, NY, Suzanne Monahan of Madison, NJ, Nick Morin of Lewiston, ME, Erin Moloney of Lowell, MA, and team leaders Chandra Bellamy of Saratoga Springs, NY, and Chris Kotowics of Belchertown, MA, and faculty advisor Dave Russell of Longmeadow, MA.

The team traveling to Hillsborough, North Carolina have been invited by the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation to come down to help them do an archeological restoration project. This project entails building a village that mimics a village the Occanneechi people lived in during the 1700s. The group includes: Michele D'Amato of Somerset, MA, David Norris of Nantucket, MA, Daniel Wystepek of Warwick, NY, Christopher Wystepek of Warwick, NY, Kristin Messier of Charlestown, RI, Darryl Konicki of Springfield, MA, Vasili Stathidis of Poughkeepsie, NY, James Russell of Longmeadow, MA, team leaders Kelly Quinn of East Longmeadow, MA and April Mosebach of East Hartford, CT, and staff advisor Jessica Bundgard of Springfield, MA.

The third team from Western New England College is coordinating efforts with Elms College and Springfield College to complete a house at 11 Monmouth Street in Springfield. The group includes: Colleen Quinn of Hartwick, NY, Van Vu of Springfield, MA, Sarah Szczebak of Springfield, MA, Terri Routhier of Bloomfield, VT, Erin Wilson of Tolland, CT, Kelly McNally of Voorheesville, NY, Jamie Clements of Ballston Lake, NY, team leader Alan King of Northfield, NH and staff advisor Adina Elfant of Springfield, MA.

"Alternative Spring Break is a transforming experience as students move from a place of complacency to active citizenship," said Jessica Bundgard, staff advisor of the group headed to North Carolina. "It is wonderful to see students get involved, assume leadership responsibilities, and work as a team to develop their trips in order to provide sorely needed service."

"What is really going to make the Springfield Habitat for Humanity trip worthwhile is being able to work with students from neighboring colleges to not only build a house but also build new friendships," said Alan King, one of team leaders.

Western New England College is a private, independent, coeducational institution founded in 1919. Located on an attractive 215-acre suburban campus in Springfield, Massachusetts, the College serves 4,600 students on its main campus and at 17 sites throughout the Commonwealth. Undergraduate and graduate programs are offered through the College’s Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Law.

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