A nun won’t dance for just any old reason, but a spiffed up orphanage will certainly put a little bounce in her step.

During last month’s spring vacation, nine local high school students and 10 of their fathers traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to volunteer at the Diego Martin Convalescent School, an orphanage and school.

After her dad took her older brother on a service trip to Guatemala, Old Rochester Regional Sophomore Jackie Dyson said she begged him to take her on a trip.

“I’ve been talking to my dad about it since I was little, and he always said wait until sophomore year,” she said.

Come August 2012, Jackie and her dad Erik, Senior Vice President of Latin America and Caribbean for GTECH Corporation, started planning.

When his company setup a computer lab at the orphanage, Erik saw an opportunity for tri-town residents to use some elbow grease.

After months of planning, the team landed in the capital city of Port of Spain. For three days, they built lockers and cubbies for the kids, replaced the ceilings, and painted dorms and classrooms.

“It was neat seeing how much they really appreciated what seems to us like a small amount of work and a small amount of time,” said ORR senior and Marion resident Benjamin Mattson.

For many members of the group, the trip was their first experience abroad.

One of Dan Donohue’s first impressions was how different the conditions were.

“The structural integrity of the houses [was shocking,] especially in the capital. The houses on the outskirts had no building code at all,” said Donohue, a senior at ORR.

Dan’s father Tim echoed his son’s sentiments.

“There’s probably no running water. It’s a tough life for most of them,” he said.

Despite the poverty, the students said they were encouraged by the trip, and all said the highlight of the week was interacting with the children at the orphanage.

“It was really fun to play with the kids after working,” said Mattson.

Tim, who helped organize the roster for the trip, said, “They worked so hard. I’m very proud of our guys.”

And the group certainly left an impression on the nuns who care for them. “Someone saw one of the nuns. She was looking up at a whole new place, and she started to sing and jump around,” said Tim.

Of the experience he added, “I would definitely do it again.”