Whether it be to spice up a resume or from the generosity of the soul, community service is and always has been a very popular activity for high school students. From the annual canned food drive in fall to a beach cleanup in the spring, something in human nature compels us to give back. After all, in the words of congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.”
While opportunities for service come knocking at the door to some, others have absolutely no idea where to start looking, or, even worse, cannot afford to take part in service organizations or projects. This is where the Menlo-Atherton Service Learning Center comes in. The sister entity to the College and Career Center, this new addition to the student resources of M-A will be unique in the sense that its conception and planning is student-led.
Stemming from the on-campus Global Leaders program, the center will be a place for any student on campus to discover service opportunities they may not have been aware of before, from any organization, club, or other organizers.
The brainchild of the Global Leaders’ Executive Board, a student group that runs the day-to-day operations of the organization on campus, the Service Learning Center has been in the works since the beginning of the new year. Meeting most Thursday mornings before school to plan, the Executive Board has been the main vision behind the project.
According to the Executive Board Director, senior Brynn Williams, the board “hopes to have an actual physical center within the next two years.”
However, until then, “[they] have created an M-A Service Calendar that has the dates and time of when all service clubs meet and their service events.”
Until the Service Center is up and running, this new calendar, accessible from M-A’s website, will be a public amalgamation of all sorts of service projects and opportunities where any student, regardless of associations or background, can find a cause to rally behind. “We really want service to be available to everyone, no matter their economic status,” explained Williams.
Ideas for an interim Service Center include a fully online interface or even a bulletin board where students, clubs, and others can post their own opportunities for service. If all goes to plan, this new resource offered at M-A will be an invaluable asset for generations of students who just want to make the world a better place.
