Bay View Seniors Complete Mercy Projects Benefiting Communities Across Rhode Island

Riverside, RI — Four student-led initiatives are among the 20 Mercy Projects completed this spring by seniors at St. Mary Academy Bay View. From the weight of grief to the power of giving, Bay View students are making an impact through peer grief support, 40 donated dresses, 16,500 soda tabs and women’s health advocacy, embodying the school’s mission of service, compassion, and faith.

The Power of Mercy Projects
The Mercy Projects provide seniors at Bay View with an opportunity to demonstrate their growing understanding of what it means to be a young woman of Mercy. Students engage in service that benefits people in need, inspired by the Gospel Values and the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy (Earth, Immigration, Nonviolence, Racism, and Women). Students are challenged to identify an issue directly connected to these values, plan a project to address it, bring that plan to life and educate their classmates about both the issue and their work.

Shared Strengths Grief Support Group
Seniors Ariana Bobiak and Nina Grace, both of Seekonk, launched Shared Strengths, the first student-led support group created to help students who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

The group grew from the students' recognition that their school community needed a safe, supportive space for students to process grief and emotions together. To prepare, the pair completed eight training sessions with Jane Rocha, who leads a bereavement support group at the New Bedford YWCA for widows and widowers. As part of their training, they were invited to sit in on one of her sessions, gaining firsthand experience in compassionate, meaningful dialogue.

“Starting Shared Strengths has been such a meaningful, full-circle experience for me,” said Bobiak. “When I lost my dad, I didn’t have anyone to turn to, so knowing there is now a resource at this school for students going through similar experiences means more than I can put into words.”

“Through our lessons and opening up to the girls in our group, I’ve realized how similar our feelings truly are and that everything I was experiencing was completely normal,” added Grace. “I’m excited to see where this group goes after we graduate.”