March for Life excites students

Students from Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady are ready for this Friday’s National March for Life in Washington, D.C. 
“I’m excited for everything,” said Connor Barber, senior. “I’ve never been, so I don’t know what to expect. I’m just excited for the experience and what it’s all about.”

Every year, thousands of pro-lifers come together at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to march on Capitol Hill as a rally cry to the nation to choose life. The March takes place on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe V. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. 

Dozens of local parishes and diocesan schools and colleges join the march each year, including Saratoga Central Catholic, Catholic Central High School in Troy and Siena College in Loudonville. This is the seventh year in a row that NDBG students will be attending.

“It was a great experience,” said Nicholas Mendonca, a sophomore, who attended the March For Life the past few years. “You get to see everybody who believes in the same things that you believe in. I just love that.”

Ethan Marrone, a senior who has attended the March For Life every year since he was a freshman, added: “I’ve gone all four years, since ninth grade … It’s just a really good experience to let people know what you believe in.”

For the students, the march really begins the night before with an eight-hour bus ride into Washington, D.C. Most students dread the ride down, but one says otherwise. 

“I think a lot of fun for me is the eight-hour bus ride; if you’re with friends it’s fun,” Marrone said. 

But Mendonca is quick to correct him: “I think you’re probably the only person to say that.”

The first stop of the day is the Youth Rally and Mass for Life at the Capital One Arena in Washington, which takes place the morning of the march. Live music, pro-life speakers and testimonies of faith help get the crowd pumped up for the day. It also offers students, teens and college students a chance to connect with other pro-lifers their age from across the country. 

Kathy Tobin, the school’s guidance administrative assistant, has chaperoned the trip for numerous years. She said the school was unable to get tickets to the rally last year but were able to attend Mass with Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger at St. Patrick’s Church.

This year, the school got the tickets: “That’s what I’m looking forward to most,” Mendonca said of the rally. 

“For me, when we went to the Youth Rally two years ago, when they were doing the Gospel readings, they did it in sign-language and different languages,” added Marrone. “That was really cool to see; to spread the diversity.”

After the rally students will meet up at the start of the march for more speakers, and then begin the walk through the National Mall. Tobin noted that in addition to marching, the group will try and get in some sightseeing while in the city. 

“I feel like (attending) can inspire other people to go next year,” Marrone said. “It just spreads the word.