Some juniors are satisfied with their trip selections, while others have concerns about the process.

With nerves and anticipation, the junior class met on Wednesday, October 19 in the Duffy Center for a random lottery to determine their Christian Service trip destinations.

Director of Christian Service Mr. Lawrence Legner implemented a lottery system for the Christian Service trips several years ago, so that students should have equal chances to select their desired service trip.

Prior to the lottery, juniors submit a worksheet that lists their desired service trips in order of preference from the eight available trips.

“Every name gets placed in a hat, each on a slip of paper, and I choose one name at a time,” Legner said. “The student will receive the trip that is highest on his list. If his first trip is already full with kids, then he gets placed with his second choice.”

However, Legner noted several exceptions to the straight lottery process.

“If a student has a sport or a summer job and are only available for a certain service trip, they can be placed to go on that specific trip even before the lottery is held,” Legner said.

Every year, when the juniors receive a list of the trips to select, the brochure states that the student, in most cases, will receive one of his first through third picks. However, this year there were some juniors that did not get even their third choice.

“Some kids in the junior class received their 6th and 7th pick, which are their last choices,” Legner said.

Legner said that he added a second trip to the Dominican Republic last year, so that more students could attend this popular option.

Some juniors tried to switch the trips that they were assigned in this year’s lottery.

Junior Lucas Hammond also was assigned Armenia in the lottery. Hammond said that Armenia was his last choice and he got picked to go on the trip because of the lottery system.

Junior Jake Hodlofski also got placed to go to Armenia this year. “I was a little skeptical at first,” Hodlofski said. “I didn’t think going to Armenia was safe at first, until I went to the meeting, and Mr. Legner guaranteed us that we are safe and that if something happens, we would leave as soon as possible.”

Legner insists that all destinations are safe. “Safety is the number one priority,” he said.

At the meeting about the Armenia trip on October 25, Hodlofski and Hammond’s nervous assumptions about the trip changed to great expectations after Legner explained details about the trip and safety.

On the Armenia trip in 2016, students met with Pope Francis, who was visiting the orphanage where students worked.

“I am really looking forward to my trip this summer,” Hammond said.