Community Service
written by the Hamilton Park Montessori School Middle School Students
The students of the HPMS Middle School believe that community service helps to maintain a healthy structure in our community, which then goes on to help it thrive in a multitude of ways. HPMS students perform community service tasks often, both in the smaller community of the Hamilton Park Montessori School and in the larger community that is the world around them. This Martin Luther King Day, the HPMS Middle School would like to recognize all the hard work they have done to benefit the community, in and outside of school. These students take pride in their work and would like to share their accomplishments with the greater community. By sharing these stories, they hope to educate and inspire others on the many ways they can do their part in helping the community.
Students of HPMS have the choice of what community service they would like to do. One of those options is to help in early childhood classrooms. There are many tasks, simple or tedious, that are in need of being completed. The most requested job, reading to the younger children, is a large part of helping out in early childhood classrooms. The students of HPMS enjoy helping out in the early childhood classrooms because of the mental reward, seeing the smile on the child’s face when someone they look up to helps complete something or does something that the child enjoys.
The 2018 YSOP (Youth Service Opportunities Project) trip was a big opportunity for the 7th and 8th graders of HPMS. It helped them get away from their phones and help the homeless community of New York City. They made a bunch of food for the people and after everybody ate, they played board games and had conversations with the guests. They then had a debate about homelessness and what it does to people. The hour and a half long conversation gave them a better perspective about homelessness. The next day they had a community breakfast and were then separated into five groups to go to the five different boroughs of New York City. They made and served food to the guests and got to listen to the people’s stories and got to know them.
As you have no doubt seen in the previous paragraphs, community service is a big part of our school community, and it allows students to hone skills they have learned in the classroom while applying them in practical life. One such example is when last year, a group of students used their knowledge of 3D printing to print replacement parts (on custom order) for whichever Early Childhood classroom needed them. This involves replacement beads, cubes, number squares, puzzle pieces, and much other stuff that is used in the building, by HPMS’s very own 8th graders.
As you can tell throughout the first few years of the HPMS middle school program, we have worked with the younger students and staff members in our school and we have also worked with those outside our own four walls. Working throughout the school we have learned to care about the community. We’ve seen how it works and have gotten a better understanding of what it takes to run a school. At YSOP we learned about others who don’t have enough money to put a meal on the table. We also learned about their living situations and how heavily these people depend on their communities. We have gained skills and have learned how our skills can affect our school. Not only have we done all of this, but we have become better people from it, too. Just like Martin Luther King, Jr., we understand that some things are worth the time and effort to achieve. One small task can make an impact on somebody’s life.