LWA Antics

Learning to take action and make a difference

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Lawrence Woodmere Academy students took a break from studying for midterms to join in an MLK Service Day on Jan. 17. This was a full day of activities to honor the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and to continue his legacy. While many had no idea what the day would entail, all came into the building with smiles on their faces and a will to do something good for the greater world.

All three divisions, K-12, took part. While each age group may have done something different, all had the same goal; to promote bettering the lives and situations of people across the world. Every student and faculty member was wear the 2020 Service Day, showcasing our unity and the feeling of family. 

In the weeks leading up to MLK Service Day, students in the service living class were asked to collect bottle caps to create a project with recycled materials. I asked students to bring in rocks that the students could paint to be placed in the new outdoor learning center that is dedicated to former headmaster, Barbra Barth Feldman.

The international students from China collected origami paper to be used to teach to create paper cranes. All students were asked to bring in items for a care package for children in hospitals. The preparation was not at all easy, but most certainly worth it, for the student body could not have been happier with the work they produced by the end of the day.

Guest speaker Mark Quattrocchi from the WE organization shared how he bicycled from China back to his home in Canada in a span of two years. Despite challenges, including getting hit by an ice-cream truck, he persevered and made it through his journey. Throughout his travels, Quattrocchi opened five schools in different countries. Students sat wide-eyed as they heard how meaningful his life has become to people who needed him. He actually did something to solely benefit others. 

In the library, students in the Helping Hands Club ran booths that worked to help in different areas. Fifty care packages were filled with paper cranes, friendship bracelets, letters, stickers and more. The recycled materials station created a beautiful poster that promoted recycling and prompted action against climate change. Almost all the high school students and some administrators and teachers colorfully painted rocks that are to be placed around the koi pond. The day was informative, meaningful and altogether fun. 

After lunch, students and teachers played alongside each other in a basketball game. Pride rang in the LWA gymnasium, as students sat with their respective grades and cheered for both their friends and teachers. There was a clear sense of togetherness established, perfectly closing out a day where we, the future leaders of the world, learned how to take action for the bettering of the future world.