Cindy Roldan – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … Mile High Academy (MHA) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, held its annual all-school Service Day, November 5, a tradition where students put their faith into action through acts of service.
While MHA’s Service Day typically includes every grade serving on the same day, this year’s event was limited to preschool through eighth grade due to the larger number of Upper School students and limited transportation. High school students will instead participate in several upcoming service events designed to provide more meaningful and focused opportunities to serve.
Preschool and kindergarten students created colorful cards for residents at a memory care center, which grades three through five later visited to sing and spend time doing activities with the residents. The group visited the nearby Brookdale Memory Care Center in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where they were surprised with popcorn and treats at the end of their visit. Fourth grader Joshua shared that he was happy to have spent time with the residents and to have brightened their day. The center has since invited the students to return for another visit.
On campus, grades three through five also raked leaves and filled more than 20 bags, cleaned under the field bleachers, and cleaned the gym bleachers.
Grades one through two made heartfelt thank-you cards for local police officers and firefighters to express appreciation for their service.
Middle school students served off campus at two local churches. One group traveled to Pecos Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denver, Colorado, where they sanded and prepped an area for a new wheelchair-access ramp and prepared the baptistry for painting. Seventh grader Kaylanie said it was “the best Service Day experience.”
The second group went to Denver South Hispanic Church to assist with its community food bank. Middle Schoolers also prepared sack lunches and assembled hygiene kits for people experiencing homelessness. Several eighth graders expressed how tired and yet happy they were to have participated in this event. The school plans to return to the food bank later this month to help serve breakfast to the community for Thanksgiving.
Even with adjusted plans, students across all grades embraced the spirit of Service Day, working together to share kindness and make a positive difference in the community.
—Cindy Roldan is Mile High Academy’s director of Student Services. Photos supplied.
