Students Reach Beyond Campus During Fall Days of Service

Groton students volunteered their time and hard work on two Community Days of Service this fall. They cleared trails, landscaped, performed, socialized, sorted donations—and recognized the value of reaching beyond the Circle.

 

Fifth and Sixth Formers’ Community Day of Service fell on a Monday in mid-September, while Second, Third, and Fourth Formers volunteered on a Tuesday in early October. Many students and faculty boarded buses and vans and spread throughout the town of Groton and the surrounding communities—and some traveled as far as Boston—while others volunteered on campus.

 

In the town of Groton, students spread wood chips at the town playground to make the ground softer and safer for children, played board games with residents and performed music at RiverCourt Residences, and worked on the landscaping at Groton Commons. They also volunteered at Seven Hills Pediatric Center, Gibbet Hill Farm, and the Groton Country Club.

 

Farther from campus, students bagged and boxed apples at the Community Harvest Orchards in Harvard, cleared trails at the Acton Arboretum, and volunteered at Nashoba Park Assisted Living in Ayer. In Leominster, students sorted seeds at Growing Places and helped with various tasks at Northwest Elementary School. “I feel community service helps us become closer with everyone in our community. I really enjoyed it and would love to do it again,” said Jack Sperling ’22 of his work at Northwest School.

 

In Nashua, New Hampshire, students sorted donations for Syrian refugees at NuDay Syria, and in Boston, students volunteered at Heading Home, an organization dedicating to helping the homeless find housing.