Contribute to the Community

As college admissions become harder and harder, students look for more ways to differentiate themselves from others. Some focus on grades and school activities and others work on community service. Community service is a way for students to contribute to their community whether it is by volunteering at the town soup kitchen or going on a mission trip during the summer. It shows dedication and showing passion in the work that the student is interested in.

Summer, in particular, is a great time for community service since students will have more time to spare. Counselors and teachers recommend for students to not let the summer go in waste, but to go outside and do something that will help them to determine what they like doing while helping others. It doesn’t necessary have to be as large as treating sick children outside of the country, but it will be beneficial if the community service is of interest to the student.

In the Academy of the Holy Angels, there is a day dedicated to community service. On Service Day, the freshmen visit the local food bank, where they help categorize and sort food donated by the local communities and the sophomores travel to the Palisades Nature Preserve located in Alpine. Here, they rake leaves, pick up litter, and clear branches. The juniors are given the freedom to choose the type of volunteer they wish to do that day. Some remain at school and work in the greenhouse and others go to soup kitchens, counsel homes for unwed mothers, and daycares. This allows for students to fully experience community service and the feeling that comes with volunteering.

On May 2nd, this year’s Service Day, the students at the Academy of the Holy Angels followed this tradition of community service. Soohyun Park, a student of the Academy of the Holy Angels, states, “I am part of an instrumental group that perform for seniors in senior homes or sick people in hospitals. My community service has helped me to connect my passion in music with something as meaningful like helping someone feel better.”

Amy Yang, Grade 11
Academy of the Holy Angels