Each day at KO, we aim to live out our core value of “care beyond self”; nowhere was that more evident last Friday as Forms 4, and 6 engaged in several activities at various non-profits in the greater Hartford area for our Leadership Service Day (Form 3 was in Camp Merriwood and Form 5 worked on leadership activities on campus): Community First School, Community Renewal Team/Elderly Nutrition Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, Miracle League of CT, Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy/Nourish My Soul Farm, Journey Home, and Foodshare. One of the tenets of our strategic plan was to have the students more embedded in our local community, and that goal was achieved handily. The day provided an invaluable opportunity for students to step out of the classroom and engage with organizations committed to making a positive impact.

 

“We are trying to get the kids to view civic responsibility as part of living in a community and thinking beyond KO when we think of community,” said Service Learning Coordinator Kathleen McLean. “We want the students to understand that civic responsibility, service, and leadership are all intertwined.”

 

 

Planning for the day began well in advance, with Dean of Students Kata Baker approaching McClean just before the school year ended. Baker’s vision was clear: she wanted to ensure that students could have a meaningful day of service for the students placed at off-campus volunteer sites at the start of the school year. The challenge of coordinating such a large effort stretched through the summer months, with outreach starting in early June. Fortunately, Baker received enthusiastic support from the form deans and other faculty members, and by mid-August, plans were in place for the students to engage with the key organizations.

 

 

McLean connected through phone calls and Zoom meetings with the various local organizations, which were thrilled to have students participate in their non-profit. Director of College Counseling Jami Silver serves on the board of the Community First School in Hartford, so she used her contacts to allow our students to participate at the school. Upper School science teacher Alexa Tzanova is a board member at Traprock, so she tapped her connection.

 

 

However, as anyone involved in volunteer work knows, the logistics extend beyond choosing a location. Baker along with Lindsay Perkins, meticulously handled the details—chaperone assignments, online registration, and permission slips—working tirelessly to inform families and ensure all paperwork was completed on time.

 

 

Baker wrote in a letter this summer to the students and parents about the day:

 

Service Learning combines academics with community service to help you develop critical thinking skills and civic responsibility. Today, you will be exposed to community needs, whether they be homelessness, hunger and food insecurity, or the cycle of poverty. You will also be introduced to ways to address those needs by participating in nonprofit programs…You are our future leaders, and hopefully, today will help you determine which problems you can solve, and how you can flex your leadership muscles in implementing those solutions. 

 

Community First School

 

Mission

CFS works with underserved children and families to break the cycle of poverty. They prepare students for prep schools like KO so that they can eventually attend college.

 

The KO volunteers split into two groups. One group worked with fourth and fifth grades on math, and the others played Legos and Playdough, read books, and worked on sounding out letters to the youngsters. After an hour of learning, the students ate lunch with the youngsters outside. Their goal was to positively impact the students by teaching them something new and giving them the attention they deserve. The students who worked there were touched by the warmth and kindness of the children, and many reflected on how meaningful it was to connect with kids from different backgrounds.

 

Community Renewal Team/Elderly Nutrition Kitchen

Mission

CRT works to help the community address challenges like hunger, homelessness, unemployment, and poverty.

Donning plastic hair nets and gloves, the students helped prepare meals in the kitchen for seniors to combat hunger and malnutrition. Though they did not directly interact with the community members who would receive the food, their efforts provided vital support to CRT’s mission of serving families below the poverty line. They prepped food, placed it on delivery trays, loaded food into freezers, organized supply closets and storerooms, and washed dishes.

 

Foodshare

Mission

Foodshare addresses food insecurity and works to alleviate it by addressing root causes, creating long-term solutions, and distributing food through local partner programs.

 

 

KO students split into groups and helped organize food by category that Big Y donated to Foodshare. The frozen meat products were on a conveyor belt, sorted, and placed in a box, each needing to reach 20 pounds. Two students shared that they packed 52 boxes with over 1,000 pounds of food, and the overall group packaged over 4,600 pounds of meat. 

 

Habitat for Humanity

 

Mission

ReStore provides furniture and household goods to families moving into Habitat homes and prevents usable household items and building materials from going to area landfills.

Students were not on a building site but worked in Habitat’s “store,” where companies and individuals donate household items, furniture, and building materials. The students unloaded 75 doors from a trailer and brought them into the warehouse. Another group sorted metal objects and organized children’s toys. In addition to aiding those in need, the organization helps the environment by recycling materials rather than letting them head into a landfill. 

 

Journey Home

 

Misson

 A Hand-up helps families who may have nothing but the clothes on their backs when they transition into affordable housing. 

The group was divided into two teams and delivered furniture, mattresses, tables, and chairs to two homes to help four newly housed clients settle into their new spaces. Volunteers helped create a home for the clients, which supports their long-term housing stability.

 

The Miracle League of CT

 

Mission 

The Miracle League of CT believes all children should have the chance to play. It supports children with a wide range of disabilities, providing opportunities to engage in activities such as baseball, expressive dance, and learning to ride a bike – activities these children may not otherwise dream of accomplishing

Students cleaned and prepared the baseball field and equipment boxes for the start of fall baseball. The students shared that the experience was eye-opening because these Miracle League children are unable to clean their facilities due to their disabilities.

 

Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy and Nourish My Soul Farm

 

Mission

The largest group of volunteers was assigned to Trap Rock Ridge Land Conservancy, where the sophomores engaged in environmental service. The group was divided into three teams, circulating and working on different projects during the day. They removed the Japanese knotweed, an invasive species with fast-growing roots, digging up the roots with shovels and clearing large areas, collected and kept track of specimens in the river, and examined the health of the Farmington River by taking water samples and rotated through various tasks at the Nourish My Soul Farm, where they planted ground cherries and beans. These fruits and vegetables will be harvested by families later in the season.

 

Following the outings, the students gathered at an assembly and shared their reflections and takeaways of the day. Each student must also complete a reflection form after each community service project, including those from Leadership Service Day. The questions range from describing the activity the student performed to asking the students to explain how their outlook and perspective may have changed from the experience.

 

Many organizations contacted McLean to compliment the students for their hard work and commitment to helping each organization. The head of CT Miracle League wrote, “I just wanted to thank you so much for coordinating the crew who came out today for our Miracle League Field cleanup. They did such a fantastic job. All of the boys (and chaperones) were anxious and ready to work! They were all very conscientious and polite. You folks are turning out some great young people at KO.” A representative from Foodshare wrote, “A quick note to let you know how much the Old Guard members enjoyed volunteering alongside you and the KO students today at Connecticut Foodshare.  We enjoyed learning about KoKo the dragon. We hope the students enjoyed the experience and found it beneficial not only to be aware of the needs of our neighbors and contribute personally to sorting so much frozen meat. I hope our volunteer paths cross again, perhaps at Connecticut Foodshare. Feel free to share our good wishes with the students.”