Morning of Service

During the Bi-Annual Morning of Service, Tabor Academy students and faculty dedicated the school day to helping out the local community in collaboration with 23 groups and associations.

Each advisor overseeing a group of students took their advisory to a select location to perform some type of service. There were a wide variety of ways in which the Tabor community assisted others on this day.

According to Lauren Boucher, director of community service, the day’s purpose is, “to either take us outside of our own community, or to bring others to us in order to engage with schools, organizations, and businesses in a helpful way.”

Although many groups travel off campus, it is equally important that the campus resources are utilized to help others on this day. For example, some worked in collaboration with Project Linus, a program that gives blankets to children or families of wounded or fallen soldiers or go to St. Luke’s Hospital.

Other students on campus are working with senior Samantha Davis on her senior project. Davis has been interning with Emi Burke, founder of the Message of Hope Foundation, and is learning about her foundation to put together treat bags for hospitalized children.

The majority of groups headed off campus. Some did not travel far, working with the Sippican School Garden Club. Others helped clean up County Road and Point Road in Marion, while a number of groups traveled to Gifts to Give in Acushnet to sort out packages for families in need.

According to Boucher, “Whether we are helping the Marion Tree Committee keep Marion’s roads clean or serving breakfast at Mercy Meals in New Bedford, or preparing garden space at the Sharing the Harvest Farm in Dartmouth, we are working hand-in-hand with people from around the Southcoast.”

The programs that students work with consistently give positive feedback regarding the students’ efficiency and eagerness to help, Boucher said.

This year was the first in which plastic BPA-free water bottles were handed out to the student body before the service day. Students were able to keep these Tabor-themed water bottles to encourage sustainability around campus, which is something that the Community Service Board had wanted to do for some time.

Assistant Director of Community Service Amelia Wright finds this tradition to be an important one for the students.

“Something that I really enjoy about this day is how much it can alter preconceived notions about community service,” said Wright. “At times, folks see community service as a chore, and I never get that sense from anyone at the end of a day of service.”

This tradition of service allows Tabor students to participate in projects they may not have discovered otherwise, and draws attention to the importance of participating in service and helping the local community.

Wright feels the day “represents an opportunity for all to do purposeful work, which only comes to fruition when many individuals come together as a community to affect change, whether big or small.”

By taking one day off from school and activities, Tabor Academy students and faculty were able to help the community.

“Everybody takes away something different from this day,” said Wright. “And to me, that’s a beautiful thing.”

By Julia O’Rourke

Tabor_CSDay

Leave A Comment...

*