Service learning at The Storm King School is in full swing this fall. Through partnerships with local organizations, our students will have many opportunities to engage with the local community, from working with kids at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center (NAUC) and Beautiful People Adaptive Sports to maintaining trails in nearby Black Rock Forest and helping out at a local food bank among others. According to Community Service Coordinators Dr. Mark Rigg and Mrs. Lisa Shrem, the program is off to a great start.

Mrs. Shrem

“This year, our theme is “People Need People,” explained Dr. Rigg and Mrs. Shrem. “When you do community service, you gain this awareness. This is what we want to convey to our students. We are planning a lot of rewarding opportunities to help others, so completing the required 20 hours of service won’t be a difficult task,” they explained.

SKS’ Service Learning Program kicks off in mid-September with weekend outings to the Newburgh Armory and Beautiful People Adaptive Sports. “Many students are already committed through the month of September. We also have several returning students who couldn’t wait to get started. It’s heartwarming to see how excited they are to re-establish their connections with some of the young children that they have grown to know well and missed over the summer,” explained Mrs. Shrem.

“There will be more exciting opportunities to come with additional service partners, including the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, our neighbor Black Rock Forest, and others,” continued Dr. Rigg. “We will also offer several opportunities to help out here on the school campus. Another important initiative this year is what we are calling ‘Random Acts of Service.’ We want students to earn service hours and encourage them to recognize one another for doing spontaneous good deeds,” he continued.

Dr. Rigg

“I believe that service to others is the secret to happiness hidden in plain sight. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen students who didn’t want to participate experience a transformation and change their minds. However they choose to fulfill their graduation requirement, our first goal is for Storm King students to experience this discovery.  We can’t wait to work with each one of them,” continued Dr. Rigg.