Senior Reflects on Impactful Trip to De La Salle Blackfeet School

Senior Noah Kuzloski reflected in his own words about his week spent in Browning, Montana at the De La Salle Blackfeet School. This is one of multiple service immersion trips that CBA students take throughout each school year.

As Mohammad Ali one said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”

Traveling to Browning, Montana and meeting students at the De La Salle Blackfeet School was a trip of a lifetime. The exhilarating feeling of waking up each morning to the beautiful sunrise and being able to help the local students learn brought feelings of joy and gratitude. This service immersion trip was one of the best experiences of my life. 

Each day started early with the fresh, cool Montana morning air and our morning prayer. Some mornings we would get up for a sunrise hike, before venturing out to the school on a De La Salle Blackfeet School bus. Our role at the school was to help the volunteer teachers with their students, who all had diverse learning levels.

Each student at the school was unique in their own way. I had the privilege of working with the fourth grade over my five days there. All of the students in the fourth grade were energetic and excited to have us join them, which put a smile on my face each morning. Each CBA immersion student followed their assigned class throughout day and experience how the students go about their day.

Two specific students I worked with were fourth graders Kayden and Kevin. Kayden was an always happy kids and had an eagerness to learn. I worked with Kayden on reading specifically, as we would read one of his favorite books, “Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty.” Kevin was another enthusiastic student and a very avid player of the videogame Fortnite. Kevin would constantly tell me all about his games on Fortnite and how well he did. I helped Kevin with his reading as well as his writing. We would go over the book he was reading and I would help him with his spelling. You could tell that these young students genuinely enjoyed having visitors in class and soaked up every day that we were there. Overall, I had a blast being in class with these fourth graders each day and I am so glad I was able to make a small impact on their daily lives.

Outside of school, we participated in so many incredibly cool activities. First off, we were able to hear three native Blackfeet speakers talk about their culture and their lives, and their presentations were extremely interesting and it was amazing information to learn. Second, we hiked through Glacier National Park, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The mountains looked like they were touching the sky and the greenery was immaculate. Finally, we did a lot of adventuring on our own. We were able to hike and walk the trails and streets near the Brother’s residence, which took us to places with amazing views. There were a lot of extraordinary views, but starry sky at night was truly breathtaking.

As a senior with less than a year left at CBA, I am so happy that I was able to attend this Montana trip. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and if I have any advice to students who are considering going on a service trip… do it. 

About Christian Brothers Academy:
Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) is a private, Catholic, academic preparatory school for boys located in Lincroft, New Jersey. Founded in 1959 and taught in the Lasallian tradition, CBA is dedicated to helping students become intellectually mature and morally responsible leaders for society. Through generous contributions from family and friends of the Academy, CBA awards over $1.7 million in scholarships and financial aid to current students. Experience the Academy at CBALincroftNJ.org.