The Mark Metherell Challenge: 2025 Projects

By Josie Goldhirsh '28 and Serena Zhang '28

Each summer, Cate students bring the spirit of Servons beyond the Mesa with the Mark Metherell ‘87 Memorial Service Challenge. Established in honor of Mark Metherell ‘87, who embodied the values of compassion, service, and vision, the grant enables students to design and implement projects that strengthen communities both near and far. This year’s projects ranged from building solar-powered light libraries in Kenya to constructing a well in a community in Ghana and restoring trails after the 2024 Lake Fire in Santa Barbara.

For his project, Kiy Barry ‘26 visited Ghana, working with Changing Lives GH, a non-profit founded by a Cate alum. In an interview, Kiy explained that it wasn’t until he was made aware of the organization that his intentions for the Metherell application became clear. From there, he began working with the non-profit organization and designed a two-part project that involved drilling a borehole and constructing a water tower, bringing drinkable water to a local community outside Accra, Ghana. In addition to the construction, Kiy filmed a 5-minute documentary highlighting the experience and promoting the organization's work. He recalls a multitude of high points from his trip, one of which was witnessing the direct impact his project had on the people of Accra. Kiy recalls the final day of construction as a buzzer-beater moment, describing, “we got to see the fresh clean water come out, but more we got to see people from the actual community come with buckets on their heads.” In this moment, he was able to see all his hard work pay off and understand the impact the water tower had on the community. Finally, Kiy ended the interview with a lesson he learned from his experience living in the town. He highlights the importance of “supporting as a foreigner, rather than trying to steer your experience” and how this exemplification of respect helped him find a place in this new environment. 

Lawrence Zhang ‘26 implemented his project a little closer to home. Inspired by past Cate Metherell projects but wary of the expense of travel, he chose to focus his project on environmental restoration. Working alongside the father of Marco Gomez ‘25 and in collaboration with the Los Padres Forest Association, they developed a three-pronged approach to positively impact the environment and enhance the hiker experience. The three parts included the restoration of a trail and campsite that had been damaged by a summer fire, revegetating a nearby creek, and constructing a camera structure where pedestrians could take photos. While Lawrence’s project experienced a delay due to the fire, he is excited to see his project come to life and learn more about environmental conservation. He explains, “I am looking forward to learning more about environmentalism and working with experts as well as Cate students to get this job done.” Lawrence’s Metherell grant demonstrates how people can make meaningful impacts from home, and he is excited to see the difference it makes for the land and the people who enjoy it. 

Finally, Samuel Young ’26 and Jasper Shelmerdine ’26 traveled to Kenya, where they collaborated with Unite to Light, an organization in Santa Barbara, to increase access to education in rural areas with limited electricity. As Samuel explains, “kids are expected to help their families during the day, but in the evening, when they had homework, they were unable to do it without electricity.” To address this challenge, Jasper and Samuel partnered with Zawadi Yetu Mogotio, another boarding school, to create a solar-powered light library and a mural emphasizing the power of light. The library allows students to “read, do their homework, or find their way to the bathroom,” as Samuel explains. He reveals that they chose this topic due to their “passion for reading, light, and literacy.” Jasper adds that they discovered this school through their research on energy poverty in Eastern Africa. When asked for the highlight of the trip, Samuel shares his experience working with the children and how passionate they are: “It's really incredible, like how much they love to

learn.” He also describes their enthusiasm, proclaiming, “They were so excited and ended up doing 50% of the construction work.” Jasper worked on the mural with the kids, and she describes her favorite moment as the final reveal of the mural. She expresses, “They held the solar-powered lights up to the mural that we painted together, and it was just a beautiful experience.”

The works of Kiy, Lawrence, Samuel, and Jasper reflect not only the reach of the Mark Metherell Challenge but also the creativity and commitment of Cate Students to serve communities all over the world. Each project embodies the spirit of Servons and honors the legacy of Mark Metherell. As we continue through the school year, the Cate community will carry this energy into our own lives. The Cate community looks forward to hearing more about these inspiring projects when the leaders share their detailed reports in Convocation on October 15th.