Hundreds of freshmen students gathered in the Inderkum High School gymnasium today to ponder a single question: How can I make a difference in my community?
“Through your helping hands, we can build a better community, we can serve the community,” said Derek Dykstra, an Inderkum math teacher and leader of the school’s Link Crew, consisting of junior and senior mentors who captained the rally.
“People working together can build and do a lot,” Dykstra added.
Beginning next year, as sophomores, the group of more than 500 teens will be required to participate in a personal service project as part of Inderkum’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. Today’s rally was designed to open their eyes and hearts to the task.
After breaking into small groups led by Link Crew members, freshmen were asked to consider this quote by Dr. Martin Luther King: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Freshmen later were asked to identify a need, establish a goal, reflect on how service learning will help them as students, and establish a plan of action so they can hit the ground running next year.
Genora, a Link Crew leader, told her group of freshmen that by helping others, they’ll help themselves. For her Senior Project — 12th-graders are required to serve 30 hours of community service — Genora said she painted a mural to help beautify Inderkum’s campus.
“It’s not hard to find something that you’re concerned about,” she said.
Each small group had a tiny piece of a huge puzzle. Freshmen traced their handprints onto their group’s puzzle piece. The rally ended in a symbolically powerful way, with the puzzle parts joining to form a map of Natomas covered by helping hands.
Freshmen interviewed about service learning applauded the idea.
Elizabeth said that service projects not only will benefit Natomas, they can pay dividends when high school graduates apply for college admission. “Colleges will see that and say, ‘Oh, she’s involved in the community,’” she said.
Jasmine, 14, said she plans to volunteer at a dog shelter. Elizabeth, 14, said she wants to help pick up local trash. Nick, 15, said he hasn’t zeroed in on a specific project but wants to build something functional for the community.
“I think it’s a good idea because sharing is caring,” Jason, 14, said of Inderkum’s service requirement. “You can help people out, you can do a good deed.”
