As the 2023-2024 school year is nearly halfway through, the recent changes to the community service have seen much excitement and involvement.
Sophomores and freshmen are now required to complete 20 hours of community service and present to the staff with their theme, mission, and what they learned. Previously, students were required to complete 10 hours of community service per year.
In accordance with these changes, Key club has taken initiative to provide students with opportunities to complete hands-on activities in the community and surrounding areas.
The Key Club executive board organized the “Day of Service Field Trip”, in which 60 students went to the Community Food Bank in Hillside, New Jersey. Club members created care packages that were disseminated to food pantries, senior citizens, and veterans combating food insecurity.
Key Club’s advisor, Mr. Kaplan shared, “It was beautiful because it gave students the opportunity to discover several different focuses – food insecurity, helping senior citizens, and aiding veterans – that they may not have previously realized they had an interest in.”
After seeing such success the club is exploring a second day of service in the Spring.
As for more opportunities like this, Key Club plans to continue traditions of past projects and introduce new events.
Mr. Kaplan noted that the club is “revisiting [their] beloved classics such as Teacher Dares to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of New Jersey and the Home Run Derby for Bryce.”
They also plan to collaborate with several other clubs including Garden Club, Green Team, and Best Buddies to plan a Community Garden Day. The clubs will aim to “beautify our school’s campus,” Mr. Kaplan explained.
With so many exciting opportunities in the planning stages, Key Club is always open to organizing projects brought forth by students with a passion for any cause.
“By requiring students to pick a focus, the new community service requirement helps students discover a cause that they are truly passionate about and engage in meaningful volunteer work toward making an impact in that realm,” said Mr. Kaplan, “It is more pointed, more personal, and ultimately lays a foundation for students to continue to make an impact toward that cause in the future.