If you're in the Portland, Maine area and are looking for a private school, I'd say the Cathedral School, a Catholic elementary school turns out some pretty decent students. Every year, the graduating eighth grade students raise money for an end-of-year class outing. This year, however, they got a little sidetracked and won't be taking much of a trip at all.

It's not that they didn't raise enough money. In fact, the 19 kids managed to accumulate $1,100 over the course of the year thus far. So what happened to derail their plans for a trip? Sister Lisa Valentini of the Pennsylvania-based Missionary Sisters of the Scared Heart happened. A few weeks back, she came to the school to discuss her work with poor families in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

She spoke to the students for nearly two hours, telling them of life there. She told of the tin-roofed homes that get "as hot as a microwave" during the summer month, of the children who go hungry and, if they are lucky, have but one pair of shoes. "It made me feel really appreciative of what I have," said thirteen-year-old Joe LaStoria. When two of the students asked what they could do to help, Sister Lisa suggested that they "could hold a talent show or something like that to raise money."

The kids realized that they didn't need to do that -- they already had money. They talked with their classmates and came to an agreement -- their end-of-year fund would be used to help the people that Sister Lisa worked with. The school principal talked with the students twice over the last two weeks and both times, it was unanimous -- the kids wanted to help. So instead of heading out of state, the nineteen young philanthropists will spend the day at a park a few miles south and donate their funds to help those less fortunate than themselves.

It sounds to me like these kids deserve a hearty bravo and some especially nice weather on their day at the park.