At Elm Grove Elementary, a few teachers requested to have family at their school on Day of Service. These teachers had 9th grade students at Kingwood Park who were assigned to volunteer at the campus.
“I requested through our counselor to have Clark here,” said Bonnie Terrell, a math and science teacher at Elm Grove, “I was super excited because I had Clark [Terrell] with me for three years at Creekwood Middle School, where I used to work.”
An annual tradition since 2012, Day of Service helps freshmen contribute to their community. The freshman class was spread amongst 17 locations, which included local schools, the Tiny Homes retreat in Liberty and the Village Learning Center.
Clark Terrell did not attend elementary school at Elm Grove but he said he still enjoyed spending time with his mom who has only been working there one year.
Terrell helped fourth grade students with multiplication and division holiday puzzles.
Along with Terrell, Elm Grove staff member Kara Benton requested for her daughter Raven Benton, a freshman, and son Talon Benton, a senior, to participate in Day of Service at Elm Grove.
“I love when they are here, especially for recess,” Benton said. “I think it’s so good for our kids because y’all are a lot more fun than teachers so it makes recess more fun.”
Talon Benton volunteered at the food bank for his freshman year at Day of Service. He joined the Elm Grove group this year as a chaperone, hoping to provide a good example to the freshmen volunteering.
“It’s an amazing feeling because you get to go and serve the community and help out people you know who could definitely use a helping hand,” Benton said. “Teachers are tired and exhausted, and you get to give them a little bit of a break by taking the kids out to play. It’s also always fun to be able to serve somebody who’s not yourself.”
Since 2012, about 4,800 students have served in their community during this event. This year, 500 students were sent out to do community service activities.
“I think it highlights the fact that there’s always something bigger than yourself out there,” Talon Benton said. “There’s always something that you could be doing.”
