Spring Community Day shines spotlight on service and social awareness

Classes gave way to community building on the Circle this past April 18, as students and faculty used a day off from studies to focus on service and social awareness. 

After regular Chapel service, students and faculty split into two groups: one doing service projects throughout campus and the region and the other attending student-led workshops. After lunch, the groups switched.

In total, thirty-two workshops were held on topics ranging from an exploration of free speech rights to ways to build a more inclusive world.

“I think it’s vital for our kids to not only engage in meaningful conversations about social issues to express their voice, but also to embody that through their actions and see how it affects those around them to discover their sense of purpose in the community,” said Director of Community Engagement Elizabeth Phan, who organized the event alongside Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Sravani Sen-Das and Director of Alumni Engagement Allison MacBride. “They are learning through experience and how to connect their values, like gratitude, social awareness, and humility. Our hope is to develop their character as role model citizens, ready to take on the outside world beyond the Circle.” 

In addition, alumni Lauren von Stackelberg ’08, Liz Melampy ’12, and Emma Keeling ’17 took part in workshops throughout the day before joining together for an alumni panel at the end of the day. 

Another highlight of the day was a visit from General Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse II, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. Born in Roxbury in 1927, General Woodhouse enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on his 17th birthday and served in the groundbreaking 332nd Fighter Wing. Commissioned as a second lieutenant at 19, he overcame the challenges of segregation and went on to a remarkable career in law and public service. General Woodhouse shared stories of his extraordinary life, military service, and legacy of courage and resilience in one of the afternoon sessions.

Groton Community Engagement public service opportunities took students throughout the region for projects at nonprofits and other community organizations in Groton, Acton, Ayer, Harvard, Leominster, Lowell, Lunenburg, North Chelmsford, Pepperell, Townsend, and Nashua, N.H. On campus, students decorated the Webb Marshall Room and arranged flower bouquets for special thank-you meals for the Eagles cleaning crew and the Dining Hall staff.