Students spiff up New London on Community Day

NEW LONDON - Seventh-grade students planted flowers, picked up sticks, raked leaves and more on New London resident Connie Tarrence's three acres of property during Community Day on Friday, May 10.

'They are just awesome,” Tarrence said. 'They are working their hearts out, they do what you ask, they're all participating. It's a wonderful help to my husband and me,” Tarrence said.

This is the fourth year students from the New London Community School District have volunteered to help Tarrence do some spring cleaning around her property. Each year, she finds them extremely helpful and accommodating.

On Community Day, students also volunteered at New London Specialty Care, Elliott Chapel, New London Country Club, residents' houses and on the school grounds. They also made cookies, snack mix and paper flowers to deliver to the Specialty Care later that day. It was rescheduled from Wednesday, May 8, to Friday, May 10, due to the weather.

Luann Martin, New London Middle School teacher, said Community Day is a 'thank you” for the support of New London residents every other day of the year.

Each Community Day, Martin said she sees a lot of teamwork, a lot of hard work, and she gets to know the students outside of the classroom.

Aidan Pealer, 15, said Community Day is fun because he gets to spend time outside instead of inside in class. Pealer said he that it brings the community together and the town feels closer because of the way students are able to volunteer.

'It's just fun,” Pealer said. 'It helps me get to know (classmates) better, and it's always fun to help people you live in the community with.”

D'Lissa Scott, 17, had a broom and dustpan in hand ready to sweep the school's auditorium. Scott appreciates that she gets the chance to help make the town look nicer.

'It gives us a good reputation,” Scott said. 'I've learned that our town gets dirty real quick,” she added with a laugh.

Kuerra Huffman was cleaning seats in the auditorium with a dust cloth. Later that day, she went to pick up trash around the community. Huffman said she has participated on several out-of-state mission trips, and getting to help others is an extension of who she is.

'It feels good knowing I put a smile on someone's face,” Huffman said.

During Community Day, Huffman said she laughs with and enjoys the presence of her classmates.

'Last year, we got to play kick ball at the end of the day. I'm hoping we get to do that again,” Huffman said.

Mazie Parker, 15, helped move old filing cabinets and other 'junkie stuff” from the music room in New London High School and Middle School. Parker said she enjoys Community Day because it's a chance to blend with different groups of people whom she isn't always in class with.

'It teaches us how to work together better,” Parker said. The work students do on Community Day reflects in town and everyone appreciates it, she said.

Parker said volunteering to clean up the community gives her a sense of ownership and makes her feel good about accomplishing something.

Ella Francis, Claire Jones, 16, Kara Krieger, 17, and Haley Rohdy, 15, were making 120 paper flowers to take to New London Specialty Care. Francis, who did a CNA rotation at the care facility, was looking forward to saying hello to residents she used to work with.

'I just love the idea of giving back to a community that has done so much for the New London school district,” Francis said.

Francis said that volunteering is an everyday thing in the New London Community School District. When they get a shipment of items for the food pantry, students volunteer to help unload the truck. Francis herself has completed 560 hours of volunteer work for her silver service hours. Students must volunteer 400 hours to receive silver service recognition during graduation.

Jennifer Campbell, English teacher at New London High School, said that Community Day is important to the school because it's a time for students to give back to a community that has give so much to them.

Campbell pointed to recent items the community helped the school district with like the new track, updates to their buildings, and one-to-one computers for students.

'One thing I've taken away is our kids really do step up to the plate and give back in all those positive ways,” Campbell said. 'It's building good character in them.”