Service: St. Margaret's Gift to the Community

Service: St. Margaret's Gift to the Community

The nearly 2,000 hours of service that SMS students provide annually to local organizations is St. Margaret's gift to the community. It's also the school's gift to its students.

"Learning to reach outside of one's self is an important part of growing up," said Community Service Coordinator Mollie Conklin. "The service opportunities that we provide help girls make the connection between what the world needs and what they have to offer."

Every student must complete at least 12 hours of community service each year. Many students, however, go far beyond the requirement.

For Kelly Proctor '02, that meant writing and illustrating a children's book that teaches values while telling the story of Middlesex County. Lifetimes of Caring and Sharing now has been distributed to every second- and third-grader in the public schools. "I learned to appreciate what it takes to make a small town healthy," she said, "and saw how people, myself included, benefit from those who come before them."

Boarding student Brittany Alexander '03 began her community service career through the "Pathways to Success" program, which requires its participants to volunteer 40 hours per month. Tutoring, recycling, office work, and library clerking take her far beyond that, however, because "Community service is actually fun, once you get into it."

Left: An outstanding community service project led to the selection of Kelly Proctor '02 as Queen of the Urbanna Oyster Festival.

Right: Juliane Kelly '03 was among the SMS volunteers staffing the children's area at this year's Urbanna Oyster Festival.

Left: Children attending the St. John's Church Santa Lunch received a nametag and a warm greeting from Nicole Manning '05 and Drenika Mosby '06.

Right: Mari Stanfield '03 and Jennifer Clark '05 made the kettle jingle as they rang the bell for the Salvation Army, a popular holiday service event.

Left: SMS teachers and students know who usually clocks the most community service hours. It's Brittany Alexander '03.