Our core values of Truth, Respect, and Responsibility came to life as The Storm King School commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 15. While most of the nation had the day off, Storm King students and faculty spent this federal holiday volunteering for great causes and making a difference. Their combined efforts made a positive impact on the local community and captured the true spirit of the day.

For the sixth year in a row, students had the chance to contribute to many philanthropic organizations through activities both on and off campus. For example, those who traveled to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Newburgh succeeded in painting the walls of the entire store in only a few hours. Matt Arbolino who coordinates Habitat’s volunteer activities expressed that “the ReStore is extremely appreciative of the great work that the students and chaperones did on Monday.” The Newburgh Armory Unity Center was another important destination where our students helped to clean out closets, itemize supplies, and rearrange several classrooms.

 

 

A group of hearty students withstood the cold temperatures in Black Rock Forest adding to trails and participating in a territory study of coyotes. Using GPS devices they pinpointed the locations of coyote scat, numbered them, and collected samples. Students who volunteered at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum helped them add a 9-foot tall rocket ship and a crawl-in play cave to the playground at their Young Naturalist Preschool.

 

 

For students who remained on campus, Orr Commons was bustling with activity. In the dining hall, students who chose to participate in Project Linus were busy assembling blankets for sick children. Meanwhile, Storm King’s Black and Latino Student Union (BLSU) held a clothing drive in the Smidt Room to benefit Puerto Rican hurricane relief efforts.

 

 

Throughout the day there were also various clean-up activities going on in the gym, art center and theatre, and on-campus childcare for faculty and staff was provided by student volunteers. And while all this was going on, Mrs. G was busy with the New York Blood Center heading this year’s record-breaking blood drive in the gymnasium.

 

 

Director of Service Learning Ben Harnick was very pleased with the organization and the effort put in by the community. “Both students and faculty really stepped up and worked in the spirit of the day. Everyone did a great job, had fun doing it, and their work really made an impact,” he explained.

 

 

That same feeling was shared by all the students and faculty who participated Monday, making this year’s MLK Day of Service a great success. The clothing drive collected a truckload of donations, over 50 blankets were assembled, nearly 4,500 square feet of wall was painted, and 62 pints of blood were collected, enough to save 186 lives. These numbers would have made Dr. King proud!