Community Service
written by the Hamilton Park Montessori School Middle School Students
The students of the HPMS
Middle School believe that community service helps to maintain a healthy
structure in our community, which then goes on to help it thrive in a multitude
of ways. HPMS students perform community service tasks often, both in the
smaller community of the Hamilton Park Montessori School and in the larger
community that is the world around them. This Martin Luther King Day, the HPMS
Middle School would like to recognize all the hard work they have done to
benefit the community, in and outside of school. These students take pride in
their work and would like to share their accomplishments with the greater
community. By sharing these stories, they hope to educate and inspire others on
the many ways they can do their part in helping the community.
Students of HPMS have
the choice of what community service they would like to do. One of those
options is to help in early childhood classrooms. There are many tasks, simple
or tedious, that are in need of being completed. The most requested job,
reading to the younger children, is a large part of helping out in early
childhood classrooms. The students of HPMS enjoy helping out in the early
childhood classrooms because of the mental reward, seeing the smile on the
child's face when someone they look up to helps complete something or does
something that the child enjoys.
The
2018 YSOP (Youth Service Opportunities Project) trip was a big opportunity for the 7th and 8th graders of HPMS. It
helped them get away from their phones and help the homeless community of New
York City. They made a bunch of food for the people and after everybody ate,
they played board games and had conversations with the guests. They then had a
debate about homelessness and what it does to people. The hour and a half long
conversation gave them a better perspective about homelessness. The next day they had a
community breakfast and were then separated into five groups to go to the five
different boroughs of New York City. They made and served food to the guests
and got to listen to the people’s stories and got to know them.
As you have no doubt
seen in the previous paragraphs, community service is a big part of our school
community, and it allows students to hone skills they have learned in the
classroom while applying them in practical life. One such example is when last
year, a group of students used their knowledge of 3D printing to print
replacement parts (on custom order) for whichever Early Childhood classroom
needed them. This involves replacement beads, cubes, number squares, puzzle
pieces, and much other stuff that is used in the building, by HPMS’s very own
8th graders.
As you can tell
throughout the first few years of the HPMS middle school program, we have
worked with the younger students and staff members in our school and we have
also worked with those outside our own four walls. Working throughout the
school we have learned to care about the community. We’ve seen how it works and
have gotten a better understanding of what it takes to run a school. At YSOP we
learned about others who don’t have enough money to put a meal on the table. We
also learned about their living situations and how heavily these people depend
on their communities. We have gained skills and have learned how our
skills can affect our school. Not only have we done all of this, but we have
become better people from it, too. Just like Martin Luther King, Jr., we
understand that some things are worth the time and effort to achieve. One small
task can make an impact on somebody’s life.
