La Grande High School Senior Service Day
10/13/21
LHS Seniors Contribute Around La Grande
About 100 LHS Seniors raked leaves, pulled weeds, planted tulip bulbs, cleaned animal kennels, chopped firewood, shoveled gravel and picked up trash – all in the name of Senior Service Day on Wednesday, October 13th.
The purpose of this annual event is for the LHS Senior Class to spend a day giving back to their La Grande community. At the start of the day, the seniors gathered in the LHS Auditorium for a brief orientation. Principal Brett Baxter welcomed them and told them why he appreciates their efforts today. “At this point, you have been in public education for almost 13 years and a community has supported you through that – through your athletics, your activities, your academics. This is a chance for you to show your appreciation to a community that has given so much,” Baxter said.
After grabbing to-go breakfasts and lunches, the students and leaders jumped on school buses and headed to various locations around town, including Central Elementary, Grande Ronde Hospital, Blue Mountain Humane Association, Pioneer Park and Union County Fairgrounds. They completed a variety of projects at these locations.
At the fairgrounds, a group of students picked up trash, trimmed bushes and hauled away yard debris. Senior Haylee Bell said she enjoyed working with students she hadn’t worked with before and meeting some new people. “I feel good about what we accomplished today. We have lived in this beautiful community for such a long time and we have grown up here and our community has supported us through our high school career. This is a great way to show appreciation for everyone in our community,” Bell said.
Despite the cold, wet day, most seniors seemed to be enjoying the work and the camaraderie with their fellow students. By the time the red tulip bulbs they planted in front of Central Elementary bloom next spring, these seniors will be graduating and have their sights set on their futures -- with their community cheering them on.
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