By Sarah Kinney
Staff Writer

While many students chose to spend spring break as a chance to relax and escape from work, the Alternative Spring Break group traveled to do more work.

“We’re a bunch of rebels,” said Tori Glover, one of 13 ASB students.

This year the students flew to Kent County, Mich. to help the local Habitat for Humanity on four different houses in various stages of completion.

The first site was a house that was nearly finished. They helped with finishing touches, like installing a wood floor, cabinets, and doors.

At another site, they helped frame, lift, and set walls.

Once, they had to shovel hay out of a basement. They learned the hay was used as insulation, since the weather was cold in Michigan while they were there.

“There was never a dull moment,” Glover said. “Each Habitat site is so different.”

The group met weekly before heading out on the trip, going over what to expect. They didn’t get any construction training until arriving, however.

There, their site supervisor Bill gave them brief tutorials on how to use different power tools and how to build things. After that, they were expected to get the job done.

“It was really nice for them to have so much trust in us,” said Shauna Deleon, another ASB student.

One highlight of the trip for students was visiting mentor Valerie Filiberto’s parents. She grew up in the area before finding her way to Simmons. Her parents made the crew dinner, let them have a sleepover, and fed them a pancake breakfast the next morning.

They also visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park where there was a butterfly exhibit. Deleon said they were checked thoroughly to make sure no stowaway butterflies left on their clothes.

The worst part about the trip was the weather. Deleon and Glover said that the toe warmers never worked and often the team would take projects to the basement where there was a heater.

Deleon and Glover both said they would participate again. Deleon has been an ASB member for three years.

“I thought it would be a good way to meet people at Simmons,” said Glover, who transferred to Simmons this year. She had worked with Habitat for Humanity at her previous college as well.

The ASB team is selected in September or October of the school year. Applications are released then and you can find ASB at the Connections Carnival.

This year’s group included Ainsley Wilson, Deleon, Charlotte Crosby, Cynthia Kangeyo, Daphne Flowers, Marilyn Baremore, Marlena Vitali, Maura Harrington, Megan Lamberto, Priyal Goyal, Becky Tibbetts, Sarah Savage, and Glover. Faculty mentors Filiberto and Anna Cottrell assisted them.

Alternative Spring Break is under the umbrella of the Scott/Ross Center, but it’s completely self-funded. You can help them by donating at gofundme.com/simmonsasb or learn more at facebook.com/simmonsasb.

“I couldn’t imagine a spring break with ASB,” Deleon.