Eeheon Ryu – Highlands Ranch … On January 13, Mile High Academy Upper School students participated in Service Day. The now-annual event is in memory of Mya Pena, an MHA student who passed away in January of 2020. This year, Service Day was held on campus with plenty of serving opportunities for all. As written in the Gospel of Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Students, divided into four groups, rotated among the service opportunities provided. From cleaning school buses, to writing thoughtful cards, to packing homeless kits, to making snacks for friends and neighbors, students were able to use their God-given talents to share the love of Jesus.

Students collaborated on cleaning out the school buses as Coach Camacho helped right alongside. At another station, students worked together to make Puppy Chow snack mix. In groups of three or four, they made the sweet snack which they could give out to others as a show of gratitude and kindness. At the letter-writing stations, students wrote personal notes for any of the following purposes: letters to include in the homeless bags, caring notes to Mya’s family, condolence cards to a school that just lost one of its students, thoughtful letters to Mrs. Maxine Gerst, a beloved former MHA teacher, and notes to staff members at the school. Many touching and uplifting letters went out that day.

The highlight for most students was the homeless kit-building station, where socks, toothpaste, snacks, and other essentials filled a large zip-lock bag. Students went home with one bag that they can personally hand out to a person in need.

In the spirit of collaboration, first graders came with sweet cards for each upper school student and even sweeter donuts.

The day ended with pick-up soccer games. Addie, a sophomore student, commented, “We chose soccer because it was Mya’s favorite sport. She would have loved this.” And though most students watched the games, some preferred to relax in the commons playing chess and other board games to end the day. 

—Eeheon Ryu is a freshman at Mile High Academy. Photos provided.