Randolph-Macon Academy students perform community service on 9/11

R-MA students work at St. Lukes as part of Patriot Day activities around the area. / Photos provided by Celeste Brooks.

Randolph-Macon Academy students and staff–over 300 students and over 30 adult supervisors–spent the afternoon of September 11th in service projects throughout the area. The group joined together to take on 19 different projects.

According to a media release from the school, projects included: weeding, raking, spreading grass seed, and mulching at locations such as Andy Guest Shenandoah River State Park, St. Luke’s Community Clinic, and the Northern Virginia 4-H Center. The students did the same at the 3rd Battle of Winchester, where they also re-set fences.

The chorus and color guard participated in a 9/11 Ceremony at Greenwood Mill Elementary School in Winchester, and another group cleaned out flower beds at Spring Arbor and planted fall flowers.

R-MA students stain the fence at The Phoenix Project in Front Royal as part of a school-wide service day on 9/11.

R-MA students also tackled painting chores at The Warren County Senior Center, delivered flower bud vases to Hidden Springs Assisted Living, stained the fence at The Phoenix Project, and swept the parking lot at Calvary Episcopal Church. The projects also included work at several individuals’ homes, an on-campus campaign of letter-writing to soldiers, and a walk to collect acorns for Blue Ridge Wildlife Center.

One group of students took baked items to sell outside of Rural King, with the remainder being sold in a teacher’s classroom the next day. In total, the bake sale raised $328.92 for the United Methodist Commission on Relief, to go towards the relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

“With 2017 being our 125th Anniversary, we wanted to honor Patriot Day in a different way this year,” said Celeste Brooks, R-MA’s director of public relations. “Everyone really enjoyed getting out into the community and helping others. I’ve heard several requests from our teachers, staff and students to do it again.”