To emphasize this year’s theme, “We Are One,” the student body participated in a day of service, where three hours were committed to giving back to the school, Nov. 22. The students were broken into groups to help with innovatory, cleaning and other projects.
The morning started as usual with first and second period, followed by chapel. At around 10:15 a.m., Bible teacher Robert Foshee announced where each groups of students would be working.
A goal in splitting into different sections was to allow each program to involve those who had interest in that area. For example, football players helped Athletic Director Dan Stockton with the stadium and field work, while a creative group helped in prepping the supplies for future classes with art teacher Sharon Scharf.
Many divisions remained on campus, with the exception of the girls basketball team and the golf team who traveled to FC’s North East campus to clean up the playground and spread out new mulch. The advantage of staying on school grounds was that it showed the impact of the work immediately.
Teachers like Student Leadership Adviser Jane Gillespie appreciated the work that, if it was not done, she would have had to do herself.
“It’s important for the students to be serving,” Gillespie said. “Later, if they hadn’t done all this, either Mr. Foshee or myself would have had to do it on our own. There are a lot of needs on campus and I think it’s important for them [students] to not take what they have for granted. Now they have some ownership over it.”
Though some of the tasks seemed small, Gillespie knows that all the effort will make the school, overall, more organized.
“It’s going to help us stay way more organized,” Gillespie said. “We will be able to stay in budget because we now know what we have hidden in the closets. Everyone is doing different little things, but together we are all impacted the school as one.”
Although for past service days groups have travelled off-campus to help the community, freshman Colby Lee, appreciated the change and chance to stay on campus.
“I think its beter because we don’t have to worry about transportation,” Lee said. “As a student leadership member, it was nice to work in the needs that we have. Then, later, we know how we can help the student body. It’s cool that we are gathered together to help clean up our school.”
The opportunity to learn about service is important to senior Tae Min Oh, especially while on-campus. Oh, along with the boys soccer team, helped the Peoples Church junior high leaders in decorating the church for Christmas.
“Serving on campus is a really good idea,” Oh said. “We get to learn about serving on our own campus. I really love what I am doing today. I love Christmas and getting to decorate trees. I am excited to have all the kids see what we did today and enjoy it for the next month.”
Some of Sharon Scharf’s art classes remained in her room to clean up supply closets but they also created Christmas cards troops in Afghanistan. Another group made blankets for a local elementary school.
Sophomore Katie King, who made blankets for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, with other peers. Peoples Church employee Vanessa Markarian, admires the chance her actions have to impact people.
“I loved what I was doing today,” King said. “I feel really good about what I’m doing today. Making blankets is so easy and it will help these kids, who don’t have any, so much.”
King also appreciates using the last day of break to be focused, not on school, but on service.
“I’m glad that Thanksgiving break ended this way,” King said. “We are going into Thanksgiving with an atitude of service and that is exactly what the holidays are about.”
For more features, read the Nov. 21 article, Thanksgiving memories: Join the discussion, 2011.