Students wandered around the zoo excitedly, gawking at the giraffes and trying to spot the lions in the vast exhibit, with dust-powdered T-shirts and flecks of twigs in hair as remnants of the previous two hours of pulling weeds along the outskirts of the zoo. Others were still descending from the newly installed gondola after getting a free soda for their hard work.
On May 11, the senior class boarded onto buses bound for the Oakland Zoo as a student-organized service project. The entire school used to participated in a service learning day with varied projects according to grade level, before students could enjoy the rest of the afternoon at Day on the Green. The school-wide service learning day was discontinued two years ago but the project lives on for the senior class at the end of each school year.
This year, the trip was primarily organized by five seniors who had volunteered as juniors. Zoo trip organizer senior Zoe Adams said that she volunteered, along with seniors Dana Kumamoto, Kit Asa-Hauser and Sydney Willis, because she had participated in the service learning projects in previous years and thought it was an important activity for the school.
“The hope is that if we continue the trip for the seniors, that one day we can bring the program back for the whole school,” Adams said.
To keep the project going, Adams hopes to find juniors this year who are interested in coordinating the senior service learning trip for their senior year.
Adams said that planning started in September and there were logistical obstacles they faced to get the service trip to happen. The process included meeting with Mr. Littlefield to get the trip approved, finding a teacher advisor, contacting the zoo, facilitating permission slip signing and coordinating buses. But the hard work paid off because students really seemed to want to participate and it was unique experience for our grade, Adams said.
Senior Charlotte Altieri has worked at an animal rehabilitation center in Hayward every summer since she was 14 and said that this service trip was especially rewarding for her since it was yet another opportunity to work with animals in such close proximity.
“We got to weed with wild Bison gawking at us from the other side of the fence, which was kind of fun,” senior Katherine Wiesbrock said. “Everyone worked together and we all talked to each other as we worked so I would say it was also a bonding experience for our grade.”
The bonding experience was just another reason why this project should not only continue, but expand, Adams said.
“I want there to be something meaningful for all the senior class to do towards the end of the year,” Adams said. “I think the service learning trip is a great opportunity for that and it should definitely continue.”
“Being able to do a service project with our whole grade was a really great opportunity to share what I know and talk about the wildlife we have all around us,” Altieri said.
Though students participate participate in a variety of volunteering and community service projects like the Mexico trip, Adams said, the zoo trip is a wonderful opportunity for the whole grade to participate in a collective service project.
“There are places right outside of Piedmont, or even within Piedmont that could use a little extra help,” Adams said. “So it’s important that we have that [community service] be a part of our schools.”
“Being able to do a service project with our whole grade was a really great opportunity to share what I know and talk about the wildlife we have all around us,” Altieri said.
Though students participate participate in a variety of volunteering and community service projects like the Mexico trip, Adams said, the zoo trip is a wonderful opportunity for the whole grade to participate in a collective service project.
“There are places right outside of Piedmont, or even within Piedmont that could use a little extra help,” Adams said. “So it’s important that we have that [community service] be a part of our schools.”
