Standing up for faith

Carmel students protest in DC

It’s a trip that she’s been looking forward to for half of her life.

Since fourth grade when her oldest sister’s best friend made the journey, senior Annie Poll has wanted to go to the Right to Life march. Finally, this week she is joining 25 other seniors and religion teachers Phil Donner and Paulette Stith for the long bus ride that will take them to the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

“I think it’s important for us to support the cause we believe in and to show that there are young people that still have faith,” Poll said. “It’s important for us to protect those that can’t protect themselves.”

Carmel’s religion classes teach that respect for life is an important aspect of the Catholic faith. Every January, Carmel students are given the opportunity to leave the classroom and continue their learning. For more than ten years, Stith has been chaperoning these trips because “it gives kids a chance to see it’s not just a few people who believe in this cause.”

Caroline Nonnenmacher is also excited for the trip. She said being pro-life is more than just having a soft-spot for babies and protecting the unborn.

“It’s about making positive decisions that are going to impact lives in healthy ways,” Nonnenmacher said.

The students see more than just the National Mall. The trip also includes a visit to the Holocaust Museum.

“Seeing how that theme of respect for life ties into the trip in so many different ways is incredible,” Donner said. For this year’s group, the march for life does not just support the unborn but every life from conception to natural death.

Stith likens the bus ride to a religious pilgrimage, but she said the road trip is all worth it when the group nears the end of the march.

“We go up a hill, and I always have the kids turn around to see how many people are still marching behind them,” Stith said. “It amazes me every time.”

The trip is normally made up of mostly girls, but this year three boys, Jonathan Stowe, Carlos Gonzalez, and Corey May, are also on board.

“I’m going because I believe that every baby unborn or born has the right to live,” Stowe said. “From the moment of conception every life is sacred and should not be looked at as a bad or unwanted thing, rather something beautiful created by God.”