Middlesex is fortunate to be surrounded by a network of wonderfully supportive and fascinating communities, and on Monday September 29th our annual Community Service Day allowed both students and faculty to show their gratitude. While sophomores bonded on their class retreat and seniors visited colleges or worked on applications, the rest of the school spread across the state in small teams comprised of students and faculty. Several groups enjoyed the beautiful fall weather as they planted, harvested, and weeded the land of local farms in Lincoln, Weston, and Lowell. Other teams volunteered at a homeless shelter for women, meal centers, a boys' and girls' club, and a retirement home. Closer to home, a team took a short walk across Lowell Road to The Children’s Meeting House, where they helped the preschool with outdoor and indoor cleanup. Even our own backyard benefitted from the spirit of Community Service Day, as an enthusiastic crew of students and faculty worked in the Middlesex Garden and in the Theatre.
A total of 240 students and faculty participated at 14 organizations in a rewarding day that was diligently organized and brilliant executed by Carmelo Larose and Paul Torres, our community service program leaders, and the senior Community Service Officers. The school provided 750 hours of volunteer work to the community, the equivalent of nearly five months of 40-hour workweeks. When the day drew to a close and service groups shared their stories, one notion became clear: as we spread across the state to show our gratitude for the good work of each venue, our respect and appreciation for these communities only grew.