To help others in the community, students and staff participate in community service by volunteering at different places and events throughout the year.

Picking up trash, working at food banks to help the less fortunate or participating in toy drives gives back to the world and helps others in and out of school, which is why student council members prioritize community service each year, organization sponsor Jaime Hawkins said.

“It helps to teach kids the importance of getting involved,” Hawkins said. “Like when we do the Holiday Helper drive, kids get involved, kids bring the angel trees. Kids get to see that there are other people out there that don’t have as much as they do, so they learn to have compassion and also to appreciate the things that they have.”

Hawkins said she wants to volunteer more outside her school organization, like senior Hayden Gardner does when he volunteers at a food bank where he bags and loads food onto carts to give out to people in need.

“I volunteer because I like to help people out,” Gardner said. “It helps out the community and other people as well. It’s something that’s important to me.”

Sophomore Nivik Solis said volunteering for community service is beneficial to the person who volunteers as it presents them with opportunities.

 “Volunteering allows you to relax a little bit and just think about how you’re spending your time to help out the community instead of taking from it,” Solis said. “Community service and volunteering is a great way for people who aren’t of age yet to get a job to get experience in the workforce and see what it’s like just helping out other people. It also gives people a chance to communicate with people they normally wouldn’t and gain hours to look good on college resumes or job resumes or anything else you want to apply to in the future.”

The green team is hosting the third annual trash bask on Saturday, April 27, at Marine Creek Lake from 8–10 a.m. and an after party from 10 a.m.–noon. following the event.