Don't Be "Mishing" Out

By HALLEY ROGERS


As classes ended on June 27 at the Advanced Studies Program, students made a mad dash to the indoor tennis courts to be first in line for the Mishop’s grand opening. In a line that snaked around the exterior of the tennis courts, which seemed to emulate the premiere of a hit movie rather than the opening of a thrift store, stood, according to Mishop staff, about 150 eager students seeking a bargain. By the enormous turnout the Mishop received, one can deduce that it is not your average thrift shop, and in fact, it is not.

The Mishop is part of a deeply rooted St. Paul’s School tradition. The thrift store is one of many projects conducted by the Missionary Society. The student club, commonly known as ‘MISH’, was founded in 1860, making it the oldest organization at St. Paul’s. During the regular school year at St. Paul’s, MISH conducts service projects and fundraisers for nonprofits such as the Audubon Society and Doctors without Borders.

The Mishop, and MISH, more generally, is run by Jo Brooks. Brooks is the Community Outreach Director at St. Paul’s. As part of her job, Brooks coordinates weekly community service sessions for students at various local charities. The graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy said she “Always believed in being selfless,” and this is what drew her into this field of work.

Although the St. Paul’s students are away for the summer, MISH continues to raise money for various organizations. According to Brooks, after holding three events since the end of the school year, the Mishop has raised $5,000. She plans on setting aside $2,000 of the Mishop profits for an ASP scholarship. The rest of the money she intends to donate to the charities Mishop customers said they would like to see the money go to. Brooks says she will likely donate from $1,000 to $1,250 to both the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), an animal shelter, and the Friendly Kitchen, a local soup kitchen. She mentioned that the remainder of the money would be divvied up between the Concord Boys and Girls Club and the New Hampshire Audubon Society.

Among one of the students at the Mishop on June 27 was Amanda Spiller, a Portsmouth High School student taking the Quest. Spiller firmly believes that “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” and she praised the Mishop for taking advantage of this and using the profits to help charitable organizations.

Another bargain seeker at the Mishop was Henry Johnstone. Johnstone is from John Stark Regional High School and is taking Performance Psychology at the ASP. Johnstone, like many others on campus, was drawn to the Mishop for the incredible bargains he had heard about. “How often do you get to buy something for one dollar?” Johnstone said.

When asked about where he would like to see the money raised from the Mishop sales donated to, Johnstone threw his support to the Friendly Kitchen. As a former volunteer at the soup kitchen in Concord, NH, Johnstone explained that he was moved by the people he came in touch with through working at the soup kitchen. “I found their lives to be pretty interesting,” Johnstone stated. He admits that he was not aware of the poverty in New Hampshire until he volunteered.

The Mishop will be open again on July 18 at the Red Barn across from the Lindsay building. There will be new items to purchase, and as always, everything will be one dollar.