Williamsburg Students Give Back to Community

"It was an amazing opportunity for school students to get involved in the community, and I think it is something that should be continued," Williamsburg High School senior Morgan Reighard said of the high school's first Community Service Day.

The idea started a couple years ago between High School Principal Michael Jones and community member Dave Cadle, who brainstormed service ideas that high school students could do to be an active part of the community.

"When COVID-19 hit, all of the plans took a back seat and were ultimately put on hold," Jones said. During the summer of 2021, those plans were put back into fruition with a meeting between Jones; Cadle; April Wheland, a teacher at the district; and Greg Williams, a local volunteer with the Lower Trail. Like Jones, Williams was "excited about the project."

"I was definitely excited about kids working on the trail," said Williams.

When Jones threw in the idea of an all-school service, Williams said, "That's a whole lot of organizing."

The group, along with many county-wide volunteers, organized their Day of Service on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

According to Jones, "The projects were all formulated by Williams and his army of volunteers. The goal was to keep as many projects as possible closer to the school so students and staff members could easily walk to the service sites."

Of the projects, students were placed into groups. Some planted over 300 trees and native perennial wildflowers along the trail. Others made blankets at the Zion Lutheran Church to send abroad. Some painted windows at various local businesses. Some weeded and gardened at different locations in the community. Another project saw 25-30 students along with teachers going to the Mt. Etna trailhead to plant trees and native wildflowers.

One of the major projects was spearheaded by Wheland, who, with her 7th grade students, worked on a topographical 3D map of Williamsburg and the Lower Trail. Wheland and her students were working with Dr. Alec Spangler from Penn State University. Spangler said of the project, "It was an honor to be part of the Day of Service as a visitor of the community. While doing some research on Williamsburg and the Lower Trail through Penn State's Hamer Center for Community Design, I got connected with Greg (Williams)."

Because of the weather, this project had to be moved inside and because of connections Williams has made in the community, Head Librarian Roane Lytle offered up the Library as host space.

"The 7th grade students assembled hundreds of laser-cut pieces of cardboard into a map of the trail and area. It was just a cool project, and the students did a meticulous job assembling the map," Lytle said.

Williams hopes the map, which will be on display soon at the Williamsburg Public Library, will be a "centerpiece that will bring potential connections between the Williamsburg Borough and Rails to Trails."

Spangler echoed that same sentiment. "I am hoping the finished model can become a tool for community members to discuss ideas about the spectacular landscape they have right in their backyard."

Over 135 students participated in the Day of Service activities. The plan, according to Jones, "is to do another afternoon of service in the spring and the students will be able to sign up for projects."

Jones offered praise to all those involved. "I just want to thank all of the community volunteers and our WHS teachers and staff that worked hard to carry out this event. I hope that our students have learned there are multiple ways to give back to the community and they too can make a difference."

Williams agreed, saying, "These kids worked really hard, and I was impressed with them. The project went pretty flawlessly and I would like to do it in the spring."

Freshman Abby James, who participated in some art projects around town, said, "When you think about it, we really helped make our community better – and we just did it one afternoon. I'm proud to go around town and know that we made a difference in the community in just a short amount of time. I can't wait to do it again in spring."