Students who engage in community service often tell us they gain as much from the experience as those they have helped. Stephanie Sacchitella, a senior at Webster Thomas High School, found the experience of helping Batay Magdalena, a small village in the southeastern Dominican Republic to be so rewarding, that she created a non-profit organization REACH, for her senior project.
REACH, Revealing Education and Creating Hope, is the culmination of five years of service to this 1,000-member community and has made possible the hiring of two people to teach English to 25 Batay Magdalena children. Stephanie’s commitment to this Caribbean community is so deep that she is planning on attending Universidad Iberoamerican in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, when she graduates from high school in June.
Community service is a powerful opportunity for students to gain insight into life outside of their personal experience or community. It encourages compassion and helps them understand the challenges facing others on a more relevant level, often inspiring them to want to get involved and make a difference. Webster students have demonstrated the capacity to become involved in activities and projects that support the Webster community, as well as communities that like Batay Magdalena, are thousands of miles away.
The devastation caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti moved several of our schools to action.
Students at Schroeder High School raised $4,000 through Jar Wars, an annual event where students engage in friendly competition to see who can fill the most jars with coins for a good cause. Klem South students raised approximately $400 by spending a dollar for the privilege of bringing their favorite plush toy into school with them on Jan. 29. Klem North is hoping to raise money through pledges they are collecting in support of a read-a-thon scheduled for three weeks in March. DeWitt Road families brought antibiotics, bandages, shampoo, hand sanitizers and other supplies to its annual Family Fun Night earlier this month that are being used to create health kits and on Feb. 26, half of the proceeds of the annual Spry-Willink Charity Basketball Game will go to Haitian relief.
Webster students have eagerly participated in many forms of community service where they not only find tangible ways to make a difference, they gain insight into issues and challenges that confront people in and outside of their community. Often, like Stephanie Sacchitella, those experiences are life-altering.
Congratulations to Stephanie and the hundreds of Webster students that are making the world a better place.
