By Lorae Stojanovic ’18, Contributor
The Service Learning Board, the school’s most recently founded club, had its first excursion on April 11th. Founded this year by freshman Winnie Fang and sponsored by Ms. Thornberry and Ms. Floyd, the goal of the club is to positively impact the community. Volunteering together makes the service more fun and meaningful, which is why the board’s mission statement is “Together we achieve more.”
For the first service learning opportunity of the year, freshmen board members Winnie Fang, Jordann Sadler, Emmy Morgan, Alex Kourie-Frias, Jessie Lang, John Joy, Kaity Travis, and Tony Wen, proctored by Ms. Thornberry, went down to Milford to help at a one-day camp for disabled young adults. The program they volunteered for, called Stepping Stones, “creates pathways to independence for people with disabilities” and allowed the disabled participants to enjoy themselves through a variety of fun activities and make friends with their peers. At Stepping Stones, the Service Learning Board members performed a variety of tasks such as playing games, making cookies, fixing computers, drawing, watching movies, and otherwise helping the one-day camp participants. Over 48 total service hours were earned by the board members during the outing.
Winnie Fang commented on the successful first service opportunity, stating “as the director of [Country Day’s] Service Learning Board, I am exhilarated that our Board members enjoyed serving together and learning from each other at Stepping Stones.” Other board members also found the experience overwhelmingly positive. Lang said that it was a “life-changing experience” and that gave her “a new insight on a different kind of life,” while Kourie-Frias thought that it was a “beautiful learning experience.” Not only was the volunteering rewarding, but as Sadler put it, “I feel that the whole group has gotten closer through this experience.”
The Service Learning Board will have at least one more service learning opportunity this year and hopes to expand its operations next school year. Any persons interested in participating in the board can contact Winnie Fang or Ms. Thornberry, as new members are always welcome. It’s never too late to go out and serve.