As he watched Loyola students volunteer to help clean up Fredrick A. Douglass High School during Wolves on the Prowl on Nov. 3, a teacher simply said, “Damn, y’all good.”

Students and alumni met in the Peace Quad at 8 a.m. for the national day of community service held for Loyola alumni chapters all over the country. Students dominated the New Orleans event, however, and split into four different groups across the city for four different types of volunteer work.

Sara Melton, music education junior, planned and organized Wolves on the Prowl this year.

“I hope people get reconnected with doing community service,” she said.

Student Government Association president Elliot Sanchez, philosophy senior, hopes last weekend’s Wolves on the Prowl will start “a tradition of reaching out to the community, that it’ll be stronger than it was last year and continue getting stronger.”

About 30 students went to Frederick Douglass in the 9th Ward to help clean things like rusted-out sheds and move sports equipment and books.

“You can’t measure what you all have done for us,” Douglass disciplinarian Nathaniel Lang said. “We really appreciate just the fact that you took the time to do this.”

“We didn’t have the time or the people,” said Assistant Principal Harry Dixon. “People just want an extra paycheck.”

Additionally, Loyola is also trying to start a tutoring program with Frederick Douglass.

Some students stayed on Loyola’s campus to hold a field day for Good Shepherd Nativity School. Good Shepherd doesn’t have a gym of its own, so students played dodgeball, tug-o-war and sack races with the children.

“Several of the students asked about college and what it’s like,” said SGA vice president Adam Kohler, political science senior. “Maybe we got several of them thinking about attending college.”

Another group went to City Park to clear space for a nature path. Using wheelbarrows, shovels, plows and a huge pile of mulch, the group managed to clear the hurricane-ravaged area enough to allow people to walk through it again.

“They don’t have anyone to get stuff done,” said Jeremy Stewart, general business freshman. “At least that part of the park is usable again.”

The last group of students volunteered at Ozanam Inn’s soup kitchen. They made and distributed sandwiches but spent most of the time chatting and spending time with the people there.

The best part, English literature sophomore Jamie Broussard said, was the talk the volunteer group had before they started about how what they were doing related to the housing crisis in New Orleans.

“Adding that extra context … and explaining why we’re called to continue this work” made the difference between a day of work and a day of service, she said.

Afterwards, the four groups split into reflection groups to talk with each other about what they did and how they felt about it. Group leaders lead discussions about what people felt they affected and what they hope to do in the future.

Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at [email protected].