Students at Cypress Lake High School are getting in the holiday spirit by giving back to their community with various service-learning projects.

Students often earn community service hours for participating in service-learning projects and the projects are valuable opportunities for students to enhance their skills. The National Honor Society (NHS) initiated the NHS Jeremiah’s Fundraiser to help recovery efforts in Watauga County High School in Boone, NC from Hurricane Helene. All the proceeds collected from the NHS Jeremiah Fundraiser will be donated to Watauga County High. The NHS also created a service project to make holiday cards for hospitalized kids in Golisano Children’s Hospital. “You get to be creative, and it provides many options for what you want to do. It’s a good opportunity to show the dedication to being a good student, and get recognition for all our hard work through doing activities and getting service hours,” senior CJ Couse said.

The National Arts Honors Society hosted a service project to send cards and letters to troops in the military for the holidays. Dani Barsheshet said, “It’s important to let people who are away from their families still enjoy the holiday season.” Card-making can boost morale among the troops and show appreciation for their service. Kaweli Tolmie added, “I’m planning to go into the military so this kind of thing is close to my heart.” JROTC also began Operation Santa Claus, which aims to send Christmas gifts to the children spending the holidays in Golisano Children’s Hospital.

For students passionate about giving back to their community, service learning projects are a fantastic way to help communities and gain chances to apply real-world skills. Senior Wyatt Wilcoxson said, “NHS is also doing a fundraiser at Top Golf, which we’re very excited about! We’ve done fundraisers like Jeremiah’s to help other schools, but this is the first one for our chapter. The more we raise, the more opportunities for everyone in our community!” Many students report that beyond finding these opportunities useful, they consider them to be fun and engaging. Senior Ioanna Beys said, “I would say Be A Buddy is my favorite opportunity. It’s a day when everyone is in a good mood. Everyone can put their problems aside, be in the moment, and enjoy the time they have.”