SJR held its annual Service Mass today, honoring all past and present servicemen within the SJR community. The men honored at the mass have served their respective towns and actively play an integral part in their local communities. This mass served as a reminder of the countless hours they have spent sacrificing their time and energy for the common good.  One thing that is present amongst all servicemen is a passion to serve others, no matter the substantial time commitment or grueling, hands-on work. The honorees at the mass included students from different grade levels and faculty members from various lines of service.
Current junior Brendan Buck is a volunteer firefighter for the North Haledon Volunteer Fire Department. He has been eligible to respond to calls for about five months, but spent his life around the firehouse. For Buck, becoming a firefighter is deeply rooted in family tradition, as his family members founded the North Haledon Fire Department. He ended up becoming directly involved with the service because he knew the firemen in his town, and used them as role models to
pursue something that he was passionate about.  As just a high school student, there is no one at his firehouse who is his age. Buck is able to manage school, soccer, and lacrosse, and still finds time to put in hours at the firehouse. While playing two sports, and performing extensive volunteer work, he still prioritizes
schoolwork over his other commitments. Buck looks to pursue firefighting as a professional career, in the hopes of one day becoming a New York City fireman.
“The coolest thing about my service as a fireman is waking up at two in the morning and rushing out of bed to go to a fire while speeding through traffic to get to an emergency,”  said Buck. “I know being a firefighter is what every little boy says he wants to do when he gets older, but they say there is still a little bit of youth in every firefighter.”
In a similar light, fellow junior Daniel Oliveira is an EMS provider with his local volunteer ambulance squad in Lodi.  He has been volunteering there for the past five months. Oliveira began volunteering as an EMS provider to help those in need, and for the unique experience. His journey began with an application for the position, and he was later called in for training in CPR and First-Aid. After the training process, he attended a meeting with his parents to understand
the full-time commitment that was required. Oliveira is now an active member of the squad, goes on calls, and checks rigs.  While going through the process, Oliveira has become more interested in the medical field while gaining an invaluable experience along the way. Scheduling is also a tall order as he prioritizes school and grades, but also allots time to after-school clubs and sports. Some challenges of the job include memorizing the functions of the medical equipment
and where they are located in the ambulance because timing is very important. “The coolest thing about my service is being able to hang out with an awesome group of people while being behind the scenes and actively taking part in the community,” said Oliveira.