Ryan Gloyer students partake in community service projects
As the school year winds down, students (and their parents) are going to be looking for constructive things to do.
Ryan Gloyer Middle School teachers and administrators may have provided a great suggestion over the weekend.
In a report in Wednesday’s Eagle by William Pitts, we were told about seventh- and eighth-grade students from the school who were dispatched all over Butler County on Tuesday to perform community service as part of the Seneca Valley School District’s Community GrOWN initiative.
About 90 of those students were in Forward Township to work on public buildings and parks.
“It's really a very nice program. It gets the kids out and helps them become part of the community,” said Forward Township supervisor Mark Wilson. “They learn a little bit about community service, they learn about civics, they learn a little bit about how the township works.”
A group of students was sent down to a grassy field next to Ash Stop Road to mulch around newly planted trees and pick up debris from a baseball field. The debris was left behind by flooding that struck Forward Township last month.
These projects and so many others like it are ongoing all summer long all over the county, while students have free time. It sounds like a great opportunity to not only help with community upkeep, but also to beef up a resume or a college application.
The Community GrOWN initiative is a great model for other school districts. Any opportunity to get youths out in the community to be part of its upkeep and beautification can only be a boon for the school district, the students and the communities they serve.
“We've been just working hard, getting stuff done, and helping the community,” said student Jack Pascaralla during the event Tuesday. “I think it's a good thing … and we should feel good about helping people out.”
It sounds so simple, but it makes a difference. Imagine if every student from every school across the county — and country — got involved. Imagine if even a portion of them stayed involved over summer break.
— RJ
