Freshmen Funnel Interests Into Community Service
PHOTO | Photo submitted by Theology teacher Jessica Hull
Freshman Isabella Thornton sorts baby clothes for Safe Home.
The freshman class worked hands on with a number of different volunteer agencies Oct. 14 for the Freshman Day of Service. Students are given a taste of the importance of volunteerism to the Sion community and the community at large. It is also a starting point for them to begin doing community service on their own.
Freshmen are matched to their designated organizations through a survey taken online. They answer questions about what they like to do, where they went to school, what types of volunteer work they might be interested in and what types they might not be interested in. Theology teacher Jessica Hull then takes the surveys and matches students up with specific agencies based on their answers to the questions.
According to Theology teacher Bonnie Haghirian, freshmen have been given a designated day of service for around 10 years. For convenience, the Freshman Day of Service is the same day that sophomores and juniors take the PSAT and the seniors choose their graduation dress.
Haghirian said that Freshman Day of Service is a good opportunity for students to find what issue or organization they are passionate about or to simply rule out what they are not passionate about. Most students Haghirian has spoken with say they want to go back and volunteer at their assigned organization.
“Not everyone has a dramatic influence [from their organization], but I think a lot of people get an idea for senior service projects,” Haghirian said.
Freshman Isabel Thornton volunteered at Safehome, a domestic violence shelter for women and children. Thornton and her group of fellow freshmen worked in the clothes department, sorting clothes and putting them in the shop that the residents at the shelter can visit when they are in need of clothes.
“There’s a lot of people in a lot of situations that you don’t know about,” Thornton said.
After learning about the mission statement of Safehome, Thornton says she would go back and volunteer there again. She also believes that this day helped her and others to become aware of the need in their community.