School requires 20 hours a year of community service

ERLANGER, Ky. - St. Henry District High School students are expected to serve the community at least five hours per quarter as part of their curriculum.

On Tuesday, the school pointed to one student who travels to the other side of the globe to deliver uniforms and soccer balls.

Sophomore Michael Best's journey began while vacationing in Africa four years ago, "I just saw all the kids were playing soccer with rags and cardboard tied up," he recalled. "I was like, 'Mom, I really just want to bring these kids soccer balls,' and give them what I have."

Best made good on his wish by getting St. Henry, Notre Dame, and Holy Cross to donate uniforms and balls to the cause. He made the trip to Kenya through the Ed Colina Foundation .

Ed Colina began the mission after he was the principal at a local elementary school. Now he builds schools for villages in Kenya.

That brings Best to a new goal, "We would like to build a classroom or whatever we can build," he explained.

During a forum on Tuesday, Best showed the St. Henry student body what he did this past summer with hopes of getting them to help him raise $1,500 to build a school room.

"We would probably think of it as a shed in the back of our homes… iron sheets and a couple of windows and that could be done inexpensively," Colina explained.

The schools service coordinator, Maureen Kaiser, hoped the rest of the students would become passionate about a service project because Best shared his.

"We're trying to get the kids to get outside of their comfort zone."

Even if that means leaving the time zone.