About 200 students from grades 9 to 12 volunteered to complete a wide variety of projects around the New Richland area on Tuesday, May 28. Area residents and organizations were asked to contact the school in advance so work crews of the right size could be arranged for the various settings, which included yard work, gardening, ditch cleanup, painting, and interacting with residents at the New Richland Care Center.
Community service day puts students to work
Wed, 06/05/2024 - 11:00pm
The afternoon of Tuesday, May 28, more than 200 NRHEG students in grades 9 to 12 signed up to go out in the community and help take care of some tasks.
Staff and teachers supervised and assisted with the work.
Secondary principal Grant Berg said he is thankful to teachers Kelly Dalacruz and Barb Roesler for their work planning the event. Berg said the event aligns with his plan to have the school more involved with the community, since he says he and school staff always appreciate the support given to the school by members of the community.
“An important aspect of education is learning how to be a contributing member of society. Students were able to volunteer their time and efforts and also learn some new skills from the community members. I will be looking to implement more and expand to other communities in our district as we grow our service day.”
“With the end of the school year coming, students seem to have lots of extra energy,” Delacruz observed. “The idea is to put some of that energy to use in the community.” Delacruz had reached out to community leaders and area residents offering to include any projects they suggested.
Originally scheduled for Friday, May 24, the event was moved to Tuesday because of rainy weather. Even Tuesday’s weather looked iffy early in the day, but cleared up and left workers a warm, pleasant afternoon.
Among the many tasks students performed were cleanup along roadsides, railroad tracks and the trail; cleanup and painting at the New Richland Sportsmen’s Club, as well as the ball fields and the city park, and at St. Peter Cemetery. Teacher Theresa Buendorf mentioned her crew had not only performed an important public service, they had gotten in four miles worth of walking.
Students also helped plant and mulch at the Town and Country Garden Club’s area along Highway 30.
A few groups were delivered to their worksites by bus; many walked in one or both directions.
Students visited residents at the Care Center, and also created chalk drawings for them to enjoy.
Students at various worksites commented they were glad for the chance to be outdoors and moving around. Others said they were glad for the nice weather or for the chance to be helpful to others.