Dr. Bundy and Senior Advisees (Courtesy/Ms. Bundy)
On Friday, September 1, Dr. Bundy’s 12th-grade advisory visited the Columbus Early Learning Center (CELC) on Champion Avenue for Service Day, an annual tradition sponsored by our Service Board that involves upper schoolers traversing across Central Ohio volunteering at local centers. Students are often tasked with making repairs, stocking food pantries at Mid-Ohio Food Bank locations and WARM, park weeding and clean-up, visiting senior centers, volunteering at Faith Mission, and other community services.
Prior to leaving school, we attended the Pre-Service assembly featuring Alumni Board president, Mandy Mallott’03 and volunteer at Fairy Goodmothers, a group that provides people with free prom dresses. Mallott spoke about the importance of volunteering in our lives outside of Academy.
Upon our arrival at the daycare center, Dr. Gina Ginn, CEO of Columbus Early Learning Center CELC, divided our advisory, relegating half to window-cleaning and others to classroom clean-up and organization. Those assigned to window washing tackled the interior and exterior. Afterwards, everyone gathered to work on the classrooms. Armed with sponges, disinfectant wipes, and soapy water, we scrubbed down mats and surfaces and re-organized toys and cabinets.
As seniors, every tradition we experience is a last one. We’ve gone through three Service Days (COVID-19 canceled our freshman year’s service)—and now we have none to look forward to but many to look back upon. As we entered the 9th grade, Academy’s Service Board welcomed us with open arms and showed us what having a community meant. The Columbus Academy community gives back, and although this is our last Service Day, this won’t be our last time serving.
Arya Chabria, Service Board vice-president, says, “It important that we help out in Columbus, so we can make it a better place,” and “to have the CA community bond with each other and the community around them.”
We will miss what Service Board calls “The best day of the year,” which has contributed to why we willl continue integrating service into our lives after graduation.
