The Decent Thing to Do
By Adam Plumley
Paintsville High School

“I’m ‘Deadly’ Dexter,” he said, introducing himself to the rest of the guys in the circle. They were playing the “name game” on the first day of the Governor’s Scholars Program, using a descriptive adjective to learn each other’s names in their dormitory hall at Bellarmine University.
The game was suggested by their resident advisor. No one expected “deadly” to come out of someone’s mouth on the first day of a five-week academic and leadership residency funded by the state of Kentucky.
“It was the only ‘D’ word I could think of,” Dexter explained later. “Ya think I really wanted to pick ‘deadly’? If I could go back, I would pick ‘dexterous.’”
Whatever. Of course everyone in the group thought Dexter’s ego was out of control.
    There was a reason that Dexter A. Smith, a rising senior at Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger, was selected for the Governor’s Scholars Program, a summer residential program originated in 1983 “for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who are rising seniors,” according to the GSP official website. He was one of 360 students staying at Bellarmine in a program designed to develop them intellectually, socially, and emotionally and prepare them for leadership positions.
Community service, like caring for the poverty stricken and homeless, has always been a large part of the program, but this year brought the biggest service project ever as GSP partnered with Habitat Humanity to allow the scholars to build a home for a deserving family in Louisville. The project would take four weeks and every scholar and every teacher in the program would take part.
It was huge: 360 Kentucky teenagers, including our “Deadly” Dexter, were going haul the wood, hammer the nails, fit the siding, caulk and paint alongside the experienced volunteers from Habitat. Every scholar put in at least a half-day shift of sweat and tears during the build. They all walked away proud of what they had done.
Dexter was proud too. But one shift was not enough for him.
“I wanted to work on the house again,” said Dexter. “I wanted to help out that family the most that I could.”
Dexter was awed by the family, by the work the young parents put in to create their homestead, a haven of safety and happiness for their children.
 “I never knew they had to buy the stuff to build the house,” he said. “They, like, have to actually earn the house for themselves. I like that I actually got to help them reach their goal because they really did deserve it.”
After his first tour of duty at the worksite, Dexter knew he had to go again, even though he also knew he wasn’t God’s gift to homebuilding.

Dexter A. Smith

“I’m a strong, strapping young man,” he said, “and it took me six times to hammer in one nail, and then Chuck comes over and gets it done with two shots. Boom! Boom!” Chuck Sgro, the worksite Team Leader for Habitat, was both carpentry instructor and father figure to the scholars. Working with Chuck helped Dexter to realize his passion for building and community service.
“As soon as I turn 18, I’m going to call Habitat and schedule to volunteer for them in the Cincinnati area,” Dexter said.
For now, though, he wanted to get back to that worksite again. He knew that wouldn’t be easy. The daily schedule of vans from Bellarmine to the worksite was not something that could easily be altered. To get back out there, Dexter would have to talk to Dr. Aristófanes Cedeño, the Executive Director and Academic Dean of the Governor’s Scholars Program. A meeting with Aris is no small matter. From Day One, in his first speech to the scholars, he made it clear that the very strict rules of behavior at GSP are absolute and any violation would have serious consequences. Oh, and Aris was also the enforcer.
“I was nervous because I heard he likes girls better than guys,” Dexter joked. “Nah, but really, I wasn’t nervous because I wanted to go so bad. I had to ask him.”
Aris granted him permission, if Dexter’s schedule permitted.
“He expressed so much passion for the work that his four hours didn’t seem enough to him,” said Aris. “I told Dexter that if there was a time when not much was going on and he wasn’t missing classes, that he could possibly go again.”
As it turned out, Dexter didn’t make it back to the worksite until the dedication ceremony on July 14. Conflicting field trip schedules kept him away, but he earned points with his hall buddies.
“Deadly” Dexter was all but forgotten, replaced by “Decisive Dexter” who saw a need and was determined to do everything he could to help. And “Daring” Dexter who had the courage to march into Aris’s office and request another trip to the worksite.
As for himself, Dexter wouldn’t make a fuss over it.
“Working at the house was an awesome experience,” he said, “so I just asked if I could go again.”
So how about “Decent” Dexter?