On Thursday, Nov. 7, students and staff members at Solanco High School will participate in Day of Service, a schoolwide effort to make a positive impact in the local community and its surrounding regions. In lieu of completing standard classroom lessons, more than 800 students will spend the day working on group projects to benefit specific parts of the community such as service organizations, local conservation groups and seniors.

"The main purpose is just to serve our community, do good and have a positive impact," said Solanco High School principal Scott Long. "We want to make sure that all of our students, no matter their situations, have a chance to do good in the community."

In preparation for Day of Service, every teacher at the high school was tasked with finding an activity that would serve the community. Some teachers will take their groups of students off campus to work with local nonprofits or nearby elementary schools, while others will have their groups complete projects in other parts of the building. After each teacher decided on a project, students signed up for one activity to participate in during the event.

The first Day of Service was organized in 2017 by a teacher leadership group at the high school. Members of the group proposed the event as a way to not only benefit the community, but to unify the student body and switch up the standard daily routine. Long, who was assistant principal at the time, said the first Day of Service was a huge success. "We noticed some kids were a little hesitant at first, but by the end of the day, they felt good about the work they had done," Long added. "Some are excited for this year, and others are getting out of their comfort zone, but I fully anticipate they'll feel great by 2 p.m."

After the last Day of Service was held in 2018, teachers decided to make the event a biennial occurrence. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the school was unable to host its next scheduled Day of Service in 2020. Long said that members of the school's leadership and staff have been wanting to bring the event back to campus since the pandemic, and they felt it was finally the right time to resurrect the tradition this year. "It's always been on the radar, and I give credit to my teachers and leaders in the building," said Long. "We're in a good place with great staff members and great students."

For more information about Day of Service or how to support teachers' service projects, email Long at scott_long@solancosd.org.