William Smith High School Students to Dedicate a Day to Service for the Community

NEWS RELEASE #61
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
April 18, 2012

 

William Smith High School Students to Dedicate a Day to Service for the Community
Students coming together to make a difference

Students from William Smith High School are looking to exceed expectations by organizing and participating in what they call a “Day of Service.” Taking place on Saturday, April 21, students will go above and beyond for a selfless occasion: they are not only volunteering for a full day at one of several opportunities, but many students have been a part of the planning process.

These opportunities – set up by the students themselves – will allow for the participants to experience the challenging, though rewarding, work that goes into keeping a community strong.

With some hard work and dedication, students in Rudder, our school leadership group, coordinated service opportunities reaching out to ten community organizations, including Bluff Lake Nature Center, the Ronald McDonald House and Ellis Elementary School. While every student will partake in this day, the small – but effective – groups partnering with each location will allow for each student to make a unique contribution to the community.

Our students are looking forward to this opportunity. “The day of service is great for William Smith students to be able to get to know and be a part of their community,” said WSHS junior Stefanus Tampubolon. “It’s a great idea because it’s a planned out day for all students at our school to serve our community and we get the chance to work together with our classmates from all grades.”

As team unity is a big part of the William Smith High School experience, new pathways are constantly being opened up for current students. In-school programs, such as Rudder, allow for the pupils to plan out volunteer work, school functions and fundraisers on their own, all the while developing the very skills that they’ll need as adults.

To these students, April 21 isn’t about volunteering because they have to. It’s about supporting the local community and being an active part of a bigger picture. With the vision and dedication, perhaps more schools around the country could be inspired to do the same.

William Smith High School is an Expeditionary Learning high school in the Aurora Public School District, where all members of our school community are “crew, not passengers.” For more information on this event please contact WSHS junior Samantha Aylward, one of our Day of Service student coordinators and author of this release, at samanthaa@dubsmith.org. Or, for more information on this event and other innovative programs happening at our school, please contact Expeditionary Development Director Lauren Victor at levictor@aps.k12.co.us or 303-364-8715.

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