Service Learning involves educational engagement that goes beyond traditional classroom settings, often immersing students in real-life community challenges, fostering problem-solving skills.

This past Friday, April 26th, 1,090 OLHMS students joined in Service Learning Day, contributing a collective total of 5,450 hours of service! This day united D123 students in aiding our community and schools through various activities. It provided each student with the chance to contribute, support our community, and acquire crucial life skills and insights.

Thank you to St. Rita, St. Laurence, Brother Rice, and Richards High School for joining our Service Learning Day by sending students to facilitate activities. An additional thank you to our local CHSD 218 students who are in the Adult Transition Program, High 5 Apparel, for creating our beautiful Service Learning Day t-shirts that our entire OLHMS staff wore!

After our 6th grade students learned about Philanthropy, they put what they learned into action! There were countless opportunities for our 6th graders to give back and help our community. Each 6th grade advisory was given an activity where students either created piñatas for Cosley Zoo, Cans of Hope for the Ronald McDonald House, book markers for our OLHMS library, paper flowers in planters for Warren Barr, snuffle mats for the Hinsdale Humane Society, and students covered our hallways with endless kindness decor.

Students at OLHMS who crafted Piñatas for Cosley Zoo have played a significant role in supporting the Enrichment Programs. These initiatives empower caretakers to offer animals, both wild and domestic, the chance to make choices and exert control within stimulating surroundings. The primary aim of these programs is to enhance animal welfare, foster suitable interactions among various species, and diminish undesirable behaviors. Through their efforts in crafting piñatas, our OLHMS students have made a difference in enriching the lives of animals at Cosley Zoo, one piñata at a time!

As students completed the Cans for Hope project for the Ronald McDonald House, they began by selecting a theme, such as a superhero, to adorn the exterior of their cans. Additionally, they incorporated words, images, and stickers to infuse vitality into their creations. The final step for students involved filling their cans with messages of hope, inspiration, and love. Drawing from both online resources and heartfelt sentiments, they crafted beautiful letters and messages destined for children bravely battling illness. These Cans for Hope will soon be distributed to children like Gavin at Hope Children's Hospital. click here to listen to Gavin's inspiring story.

The 7th grade students were given the chance to engage in several volunteer tasks during Service Learning Day. Organized into five groups, each group was designated to visit one of our D123 feeder schools. Upon arrival, students partook in four rotations of activities.

The first rotation consisted of students having the opportunity to read aloud to the elementary students. The books students read aloud to our elementary students were 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World for Pre-K; The One Day House for Kindergarteners; Say Something! for 1st graders; Dixie and the Good Deeds for 2nd graders; Kids Who Are Changing the World for 3rd graders; and Heroes of the Environment for 4th graders. These novels are special because Mrs. Maggie Omiecinski applied for a grant through the Ed Foundation, and she was awarded money to purchase these books for our D123 Service Learning Day!

The next session engaged students by organizing orientation activities with 5th graders. These activities included Freeze Dance with Kindergarteners, virtual Tic-Tac-Toe, Heads Up 7Up, and Paper, Scissors, Rock with 1st and 2nd graders, as well as a Service Day word search, Heads Up 7Up, and Paper, Scissors, Rock with 3rd and 4th graders. Additionally, there was a Service Day word search, Kahoot!, and Would You Rather game with 5th graders. In the third session, students participated in cleaning the exterior of the school and park, contributing significantly to waste reduction in our community and maintaining clean environments for living and learning. The fourth and final session allowed students to unleash their creativity by reflecting and crafting inspirational chalk designs outside our feeder schools. Additionally, 5th grade students will "leave their mark" by designed a rock with their name on it that will be on display by the Bryan Memorial at OLHMS.

Furthermore, certain 7th-grade advisories went on outings to the Pollination Garden. During these excursions, students were assigned various tasks, including garbage collection, equipment cleaning, sidewalk chalk art creation, scuff mark removal from play structures, mulch spreading at the Bryan Barrett Memorial garden, and weeding around the Tree Nursery. While this was occurring, our encore classes organized gym shoe donations, benefiting Christmas without Cancer. Additionally, shoes were sent to GotSneakers, who repurposed the rubber to create playground flooring. Moreover, several encore classes and our CASE program crafted blankets for Oak Lawn Ronald McDonald House and placements for Meals on Wheels. Students also crafted cards to express gratitude to our D123 custodial staff, Oak Lawn Police, Firefighters, and EMTs.

After returning to the classroom, students engaged in reflection. They responded to questions prompting them to contemplate their activities, contributions to others, community impact, and suggestions for future Service Days. Additionally, students participated in a Service-themed Blooket game, analyzed videos to recognize acts of service, and composed letters to incoming 7th graders detailing their service experiences and expressing gratitude for the opportunities they had to serve.

Lastly, our 8th grade students had the opportunity to go off campus and visit different locations for their Service Day. Some advisories went to Cradles to Crayons; Richards High School and Oak Lawn High School; the D123 Community Garden and Senior Center; the Chicago High School of Agricultural Science; Pilgrim Faith & Evergreen Park Food Pantry Food Drive; the Oak Lawn Library; and The Little Red Schoolhouse.

Similar to last year, both of our local high schools of Richards and Oak Lawn were involved in our D123 Service Learning Day. When students arrived on the high school campuses, they were divided into groups and went through three different service activities with high school students. In the first rotation, students created beautiful cards for Prom Night asking high school students to make wise decisions. The second rotation consisted of students creating fleece blankets for pediatric cancer patients at Advocate Children's Hospital. In the third and final rotation, students Chalked the Walk by decorating the sidewalks with beautiful and positive messages.

Another exciting experience our students had was at Cradles to Crayons. At Cradles to Crayons, students participated in the Giving Factory, which consisted of 8th grade students sorting and packaging essential items for children across the Chicagoland area who are experiencing poverty. These packages included hygiene kits, backpacks and school supplies, and/or outfit packs. The packages students put together will help endless adolescent children who are in dire need. Our OLHMS students collected 281 pairs of socks and collected $835 from Variety Show for Cradles to Crayons.

Students who attended Pilgrim Faith helped with a few different things. Before students attended Pilgrim Faith, our OLHMS school was collecting non-perishable items for several weeks to donate to the food pantry. After a few weeks, there were 497 cans collected and donated to Pilgrim Faith's Food Drive. As food was being collected, 8th grade students went every morning during advisory to organize and categorize food. The day before the event, students helped load all the non-perishable items onto the van to be delivered to Pilgrim Faith. When students arrived at Pilgrim Faith, they where divided into several groups were they checked food to ensure nothing was expired; they sorted food by categories; and placed each type of food in to-go bags.

At the end of the day, 8th grade students reflected on their day by answering various questions; they actively watched and analyzed what service is in videos like the Lorax and Sneetches; and they thought of different service opportunities that could be implemented in the future.

In all, our students absolutely loved and appreciated our OLHMS Service Day, and they learned the importance of giving back and helping others. Students are ecstatic to implement their service ideas for next year!