OHS sophomores were able to help out the community in various ways while juniors took the ACT at school on Wednesday, April 19. The annual Service Learning projects help students to get out of their comfort zone and start to help out their community. They separated into groups and visited different areas around the community.

One group of students volunteered at Point Elementary School. Once they got there they split up into smaller groups to work in different classrooms to help the teachers and their students. Many of the volunteers helped the students at Point mix paint, paint and cut out construction paper. A few other volunteers helped put the artwork onto a shelf so that the art would dry and not get messed up.

“I went to Point as a kid and my sister goes there right now, so I thought it would be cool to reconnect with everyone and see all my old teachers,” Ally McClung (10) said. “It brought back some old memories to see them all again. The day we went, it was fine arts day and we went around with the kids to different classrooms, and we helped them with their art projects.”

Not all of the Service Learning projects were inside; some of the community service was done outside. Another group of volunteers went down to Bee Tree Park and worked there for about three hours. Volunteers helped pick up honeysuckle plants that have invaded some areas of the park. Students were also given the opportunity to pick up sticks and to chop down some trees to help the wildlife.

Most of the students who volunteered saw this day as a positive learning experience and want to give back to their community more often.

“I want to help out our community more because the feeling of helping someone makes me feel needed and good inside,” Mcclung said.