MLK Jr. Day of Service Event Was a Success!
Serving and Learning Together: Old Orchard Families Send Care Packages to Soldiers
On Monday, January 16, the Old Orchard community celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in a day of service to others. Our mission for the day was preparing care packages for 10 soldiers overseas. In typical Old Orchard fashion, students and families supported the effort in a big way:
- We ended up shipping 56 packages to our 10 soldiers to share with their units. Our original goal was 20 boxes -- wow!
- We donated five large bins of additional food and toiletry items to Sacred Heart Community Service, which assists low-income families in Santa Clara County.
- About 120 people attended the event on Monday, Jan. 16.
- Four guest speakers -- one active duty Marine, and three veterans -- shared their experiences with students and families.
- All lower school children had a lesson in the classroom explaining the meaning of our service event.
- All lower school students created a letter and drawing for a soldier.
A parent committee, Serving and Learning Together (SALT), planned the event as a complement to the many good service activities already present at Old Orchard. The goals were: to make service a learning opportunity, to offer a hands-on activity for the kids, and to find a project that would bring the upper and lower schools together.
Also, "Service to Others" is Asset 9 in Project Cornerstone's list of character assets children need to succeed, so the service event went hand-in-hand with Old Orchard's character development curriculum.
