Middle School Students Help Make A Difference
Before heading off for winter break, the entire Middle School came together and dedicated a day to giving back to the outside community.
Before heading off for winter break, the entire Middle School came together and dedicated a day to giving back to the outside community. For the last seven years, middle schoolers have used the day before break to participate in a variety of service projects.
In the morning, all Middle School performing arts groups went off-campus to perform at a variety of venues. The Middle School jazz ensembles and percussion group entertained pre-schoolers in Weston at the Roxbury-Weston Pre-school; the Middle School boys' chorus and chamber ensemble performed for a group of residents at Epoch of Weston nursing home; and the Middle School girls' chorus serenaded their audience at Whitney Place, an assisted living facility in Natick.
After the girls' choral performance at Whitney Place, the students asked the residents to join them in singing some classic holiday songs.
"The best part about performing for the residents was getting to see the looks on their faces when we sang. It felt really good to see them so excited and happy," said eight-grader Margo Seresky.
Students returned to campus for lunch and then spent the afternoon divided into small groups based on grade. Some eight-graders went off campus to work at places such as the Natick Food Pantry while others helped set up for the Rivers Holiday Tournament or learned about on-campus recycling from Mr. Karasch.
Groups of sixth and seventh-graders worked on making holiday cards for senior citizens and soldiers serving in Iraq while others made cookies for Weston firefighters and policemen. Some students made fleece scarves for women and children at Rosie's Place and stuffed 100 pairs of socks with toiletries to be distributed by Common Cathedral in Boston. Another group collected and wrapped school supplies for the Epiphany School in Dorchester while other students made recycling and health tip signs to be displayed around campus.
"Taking some time to help others makes you realize how important it is to do community service. The best part though is seeing how good you can make people feel even by doing a little thing," said seventh-grader Jessica Kraft.
"Having a full day devoted to service allows each student to experience different types of service projects. We want students to realize how easy it is to make a significant difference and how important it is to form a habit of being a philanthropist," said Middle School Humanities teacher, Mrs. Brewer.
The Middle School, with help from the Upper School Rivers Givers, is very involved with service projects throughout the year. In addition to planning the Middle School yearly Serve-A-Thon, Middle School advisory groups alternate going off campus once a week to help restore fields at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick.
Link to this story: https://www.rivers.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=340946&sdb=1
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In the morning, all Middle School performing arts groups went off-campus to perform at a variety of venues. The Middle School jazz ensembles and percussion group entertained pre-schoolers in Weston at the Roxbury-Weston Pre-school; the Middle School boys' chorus and chamber ensemble performed for a group of residents at Epoch of Weston nursing home; and the Middle School girls' chorus serenaded their audience at Whitney Place, an assisted living facility in Natick.
After the girls' choral performance at Whitney Place, the students asked the residents to join them in singing some classic holiday songs.
"The best part about performing for the residents was getting to see the looks on their faces when we sang. It felt really good to see them so excited and happy," said eight-grader Margo Seresky.
Students returned to campus for lunch and then spent the afternoon divided into small groups based on grade. Some eight-graders went off campus to work at places such as the Natick Food Pantry while others helped set up for the Rivers Holiday Tournament or learned about on-campus recycling from Mr. Karasch.
Groups of sixth and seventh-graders worked on making holiday cards for senior citizens and soldiers serving in Iraq while others made cookies for Weston firefighters and policemen. Some students made fleece scarves for women and children at Rosie's Place and stuffed 100 pairs of socks with toiletries to be distributed by Common Cathedral in Boston. Another group collected and wrapped school supplies for the Epiphany School in Dorchester while other students made recycling and health tip signs to be displayed around campus.
"Taking some time to help others makes you realize how important it is to do community service. The best part though is seeing how good you can make people feel even by doing a little thing," said seventh-grader Jessica Kraft.
"Having a full day devoted to service allows each student to experience different types of service projects. We want students to realize how easy it is to make a significant difference and how important it is to form a habit of being a philanthropist," said Middle School Humanities teacher, Mrs. Brewer.
The Middle School, with help from the Upper School Rivers Givers, is very involved with service projects throughout the year. In addition to planning the Middle School yearly Serve-A-Thon, Middle School advisory groups alternate going off campus once a week to help restore fields at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick.
Link to this story: https://www.rivers.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=340946&sdb=1
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