Beyond the Circle with Days of Service

Students pruned and cleaned at the Acton Arboretum, mulched and weeded a town baseball diamond, sorted used furniture for families in need, and packed donated clothing for Syrian refugees. At a nearby orchard, they packed apples for the hungry, and at residences for the elderly, they performed and socialized. 

 

Fifth and Sixth Formers’ Community Day of Service was in mid-September, while Second, Third, and Fourth Formers ventured into the community late in the month. Many of the older students worked on campus with students visiting from Epiphany School, which serves disadvantaged children in Boston. The school, founded by alumnus John Finley '88, holds a summer program at Groton School each year. Groton and Epiphany students worked together with Laurie Sales, director of the theater program, on thespian activities, and enjoyed outdoor games led by members of Groton Community Engagement (GCE) and the Student Activities Committee (SAC).

 

The impact of service is felt on and off the Circle. "Service Day has been very successful, not only in terms of the impact that Groton School students have around the community, but also in that it sets a great atmosphere at school,” said Yanni Cho ’16, a head of GCE. “I loved how every student was working toward the same goal of engaging in the same collaborative effort of serving our community."

 

Groton’s Community Days of Service, organized by Director of Community Engagement and English teacher Jonathan Freeman-Coppadge, remind students to look beyond their worlds and care about neighbors. Gisselle Salgado ’17, another GCE head, spent her service day farming. “Although the work was hard, the final product—not just corn and weedless gardens but also the knowledge that we helped the community—was worth it in the end.”