Bellefonte Area High School Participates in the Day of Caring
Connell Gerald Russell was very passionate about helping others in a non-financial way, so in the 90’s, he established a day for individuals and groups to go out into the community and volunteer their time - known at the United Way Day of Caring. Day of Caring occurs annually on the first Thursday in October. The Bellefonte Area High School (BAHS) has participated in the Day of Caring for many years- since the 90’s, and each year, students gain a new perspective in volunteerism.
Vice Principal, Mr. Andy Caruso, is in charge of putting together this event each year. Juniors and seniors are eligible to participate and it helps them earn community service hours that are required for graduation. It is a large undertaking, and often transpires without issues. This year, BAHS students attended 18 different sites ranging from state parks to local businesses to school sites and even the local cemetery. Students completed activities such as weeding, mulching, picking up trash, raking leaves, building benches, mowing, picking apples, washing windows, washing vehicles, cleaning graves, and so much more!
BAHS student, Brayden Kuhlman, attended Bald Eagle State Park and him and his classmates were given the task to build benches for the park. When asked about his experience, Brayden responded, “I had fun building benches. They gave us some instruction, but then we also had to kind of figure it out on our own. Building benches is something I’ve never done before.”
English teacher, Mrs. Anne Maddox, spent her time with students at the Seven Mountains Boy Scout Camp. She stated, "Day of Caring was a great experience. My students loved getting out of the classroom, going out in the woods, and tackling physical tasks that had nothing to do with academics. We all got to work hard, recharge, and enjoy the day together.” Mrs. Maddox and her students helped to rake leaves, remove large sticks and rocks, and clean the cabins.
History teacher and local historian, Matt Maris, supervised students at the Bellefonte Union Cemetery. This has become an annual location for him because he works with the cemetery volunteers often. Students learned how to clean headstones and then proceeded to clean as many as they could, which helped those that volunteer at the cemetery on a daily basis. It was great to see the attention and respect given to those that have passed on. After their work was done for the day, Mr. Maris then gave a tour of the cemetery and a history lesson about the famous Bellefonte individuals laid to rest there.
The district is very happy to see this yearly tradition continue to live on. It fully believes in the importance of helping others and to help its students develop those habits so that they can continue volunteering after leaving their high school years. Great job to everyone involved and the high school is already looking forward to next year's event!