Brunswick schools Superintendent Phil Potenziano.
“You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give,” is often attributed to Winston Churchill. However, a search of over 2.5 million words by and about Churchill in the Churchill Centre’s research database fails to show that he ever spoke or wrote those words. Nonetheless, it’s at the heart of our Brunswick Junior High School’s community outreach class.
The community outreach class provides students a valuable opportunity to make a positive difference while developing critical life skills. Students practice empathy and understanding from diverse perspectives by engaging with real-world issues that impact their local community. These hands-on service projects within their community allow students to discover their own abilities to enact change, building confidence and resilience.
The community outreach program was started last year by Bonnie Robbins and is co-taught by School Resource Officer Greg McCarthy. The class is held daily for each trimester, allowing all eighth-grade students to participate. Nearly 30 community outreach activities have been implemented in little over a year. The program works to foster a sense of social responsibility and compassion within Brunswick Junior High School and the larger community.
Students begin by discussing why a strong community is essential and learning why it’s important to be active and informed citizens who care about the world around them. Most importantly, the community outreach class shows adolescents that even small, consistent acts of kindness and volunteerism can uplift others by reinforcing our shared humanity. Participating in tangible local volunteer efforts makes abstract concepts like civic duty tangible for students, preparing them to be engaged community members. The class also works to help students learn basic business skills, such as writing, and how to design and implement a volunteer plan.
Students typically work in groups, first learning about the possible unmet needs in the school and community. Once students have a project idea, they work with staff to determine its feasibility (cost, timing, etc.). Once approved, the students will reach out to the potential beneficiary to see if they would like to be part of the community outreach class.
One such project involved students building a picnic table for the town of Brunswick. The students created the picnic table with materials donated by Hancock Lumber. Another student team planned to thank their teachers by cooking quiches. The students wrote a letter to local business Wild Oats, who graciously donated the ingredients needed to make 16 quiches. The students then delivered the mouth-watering quiches to the staff. Another community outreach project involved designing and obtaining donated materials to build a Gaga Ball Pit at the Junior High. The incredible teamwork of our students and the generous donation of materials by Hammond Lumber will provide countless hours of fun and active play for students and the greater community. If you don’t know what a Gaga Ball Pit is, search it on YouTube; it’s a lot of fun to play.
These hands-on learning experiences help students develop confidence and improve their interpersonal skills. It also helps students understand that being an active community member is its own reward in many ways and that no giving is too small to make a big difference. The truth is, when we all do our part, no matter how small, our towns, schools and neighborhoods thrive. If you want to learn about the community outreach class, look no further than the latest installment of the Brunswick Buzz podcast.
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