Center Grove High School students spend day giving back to community

GREENWOOD, Ind (WISH) — Students at Center Grove High School took a break from the classroom, but not from work. The kids took a break to help out the community during the 19 Annual Day of Caring.

Outside the Special Services Johnson County building, it wasn’t a typical classroom. But that didn’t stop students from learning an important lesson.

“It not only shows us what we can do as a school, but as a community working together; proving that we can do good work together, as a team,” said Aubrey Dampier, who volunteered.

The lesson comes in the form of manual labor.

Garrett Harriman explained his job as “pulling weeds and helping clean up the side of the building and just so it’ll look nice for a while.”

Dampier added, “I have been raking because they toss them down the hill and yes, a little bit of dirt gets here and there. But, pick them up afterwards and pile them up so they can put them on the wheelbarrow and take them down to the garbage.

Special Services in Franklin is just one of 45 locations that students volunteered at; everything from yard work to painting and cleaning. More than 600 juniors at Center Grove participated in Day of Caring.

“We just really like to help people and it’s nice that we can give our time and give our money that we have,” said Dylan Hicks, who volunteered.

Social Studies teacher Alan Hagedorn hopes it’ll leave a lasting impression.

“This is one great opportunity for them to begin that life quest to become great community contributors,” he said.

It’s a quest that the students are getting a head start on.

“It’s important to serve our community and do things to help out,” said Harriman.

Students worked for about four hours at their locations, which extended beyond Johnson County. A group of about 20 kids spent the day at Creek Church on Shelby Street in Indianapolis.