At St. Dominic, service is one of the four pillars our community lives by. This year, the school honors three students who won prestigious awards through their emulation and commitment to this pillar.

Senior Alyssa Buchheit was the St. Dominic recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Model of Justice Award. The award is presented to high school students who have demonstrated justice through their service. They have committed themselves “to the noble struggle for equal rights.” Buchheit volunteered at Every Child’s Hope (ECH), a home and rehabilitation center dedicated to preventing child abuse, treating emotional trauma and mental health issues and providing follow-up services. Buchheit is grateful for the opportunities available through ECH.

“I got to see firsthand how blessed I am and how doing little things like filing documents or playing with kids can help free up time for professional staff to spend more time helping kids in need,” Buchheit said.

Junior Molly Fogarty is the Immaculate Conception-Dardenne recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Model of Justice Award. Unlike Buchheit, Fogarty was nominated through her parish. She has completed over 400 service hours in high school. Her work at Whole Kids Outreach (WKO) has been her main highlight. WKO is a service retreat that helps families, specifically children, in Ellisville, MO.

“Through serving others I have gained a great appreciation for everything that I have been given and a deeper love for our God,” Fogarty said.

Senior Cati Beth Welby was the St. Dominic recipient of the Archbishop John L. May Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding leadership and community service of students in Catholic high schools in the St. Louis Archdiocese. Welby has served throughout the wider community, including Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, Creative Concepts of Living, St. Dominic High School, The Maggie Welby Foundation and her senior service project Camp Rainbow.

“Service has impacted me tremendously. It has taught me how to live our my faith to all around and put myself last. I have realized how unfortunate others are and helping them is the littlest I can do. Service has become who I am,” Welby said.

Service has been important for all three ladies. They encourage others to go out and serve as well.

“I think everybody should participate in service, because giving back to others really opens up your eyes to the world outside the bubble that’s around you. Service allows you to look others in the eyes and see the beauty God gave them, even in the midst of struggles,” Buchheit said.

“Service is important because through service you can find your true passion and discover yourself through it,” Fogarty said.

“All should serve because giving back to the community is so important. We are all so fortunate and forget about others around us. Giving back is so important and so easy,” Welby said.

Congratulations to these three outstanding students on their accomplishments!