Service Week

South High students make a difference

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Small acts can make a big difference — a saying that means a lot to the student body at South High School. Participating in its annual Service Week from April 1-9, students put their devotion for helping others in motion during several activities.

Kicking off with an event organized by the Character Action Team, groups such as the Art Honor Society did face painting, while the ninth through 12th-grade classes sold tasty treats and goodies. Also during the week, there was a wellness fair, neighborhood cleanup, dinner theater, flower planting and Intergenerational Day, where the Senior High Student Council visited members of the Green Acres Senior Center. Students also brought in toiletries and collected supplies.

About 20 eight-graders also made sandwiches for the homeless on April 7, another special highlight where students could not stop smiling. It appeared that a good old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich may not just be good to taste, but good for the soul when it is made with love, which perhaps was the students’ secret ingredient. Rolling up their sleeves, more than a dozen sandwiches were assembled, with granola bars and chocolate in brown paper bags. Students giggled and gushed during the activity, which was a lot of fun, they said.

“It feels good to participate because you are helping people who are not able to get a lot of things to eat,” said student Cristina Brea. “We are making a difference.”

Adela Li, another student, said it was nice to give to the homeless shelters and to make sure everyone has food.

This is the third year that students have done sandwich making, according to Hailey Silverstein, the eighth-grade class council advisor and a science teacher. As part of the school’s cultural committee run by Principal Maureen Henry, students, teachers and alumni organize several weeks throughout the year to get students involved and excited about learning and helping others.

The eighth-graders also visit soup kitchens, including a trip to one in Freeport this year. “It’s nice to see them involved in the community and learning how to help,” Silverstein said. “They see that people here need it economically.”

Both Brian Carvajal and Daniel Briksza agreed that it’s a great feeling to help. Brian has been actively involved in the class council since last year, and Daniel helped pick up trash during the neighborhood clean-up earlier in the week. Both students, along with their classmates, helped Silverstein bring the bag lunches to her car after the work was done.