Community Events and Activities
Service Day (Early September)
Each year in September the entire upper school (US) student body leaves CA’s campus to serve in the greater Columbus area. Parents, faculty, staff, and administrators transport the students to a broad range of sites that include: LifeCare Alliance/Meals-On-Wheels, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, WARM, Ronald McDonald House, nearby parks, and various homeless shelters.
Generally the day begins with a speaker and ends with Student Council's Club Fair.
Charlie David Dinner Boardwalk Games (Late September/Early October)
As part of its fall athletic fundraiser, each year PACA hosts a dinner and silent auction. To support this event and provide childcare, the Service Board coordinates a boardwalk-style games' night. US student groups and clubs provide games to entertain younger students while their parents attend the dinner and auction.
Apple Picking (Late September/Early October)
On a Sunday in September/October, the Service Dept. reserves a section of the orchard at Lynd's Fruit Farm. Under the direction of Development Officer Bryane Roberts and with the help of student volunteers, families are encouraged to come to the orchard, pick a bag or two of apples for themselves and pick one to donate to local pantries. Under Ms. Roberts' direction the apples are returned to school, and then delivered by US students to local pantries where CA students serve. Sites vary but often include: Worthington Resource Pantry, GRIN, NNEMAP, and Clintonville Resource Pantry. Dates may vary slightly depending on the apple crop.
Kids 4 Kids: CA’s oldest service tradition (October-December)
Comprised of a variety of drives and activities, the service-learning project known as KIDS 4 KIDS provides a week's worth of non-perishable food, perishable food items, personal hygiene items, clothing, toys, and household items for about thirty-two (32) families as suggested by the Childhood League and Royal Manor Elementary. Nearly half the school’s population participates in some way. See below for the various aspects of the project.
Trick or Treating for "Cans" (October around Halloween)
To kick off the Food Drive, on Trick or Treat Night in Gahanna, US students “beg” for cans in the neighborhood north of CA’s campus. Prior to the event, the flyers are passed out to alert the neighbors that the students will be coming. Mr. Tim Morford opens up his home so students have a "home-base." Pizza and beverages are provided.All proceeds go to support CA’s annual food drive. All CA students are encouraged to participate.
Food Drive
For about two weeks in early November the entire school collects non-perishable food to be distributed to our sponsored families. CA's Barton Room lobby is transformed into a "store" where a number of number of service-learning opportunities occur: the K4K Night In as well as the Grade 6, 7 & 8 Service Days.
Food not selected for our sponsored families through the various service-learning projects is donated to local pantries.
K4K Night In
Originally an over-night event preceding US Service Day that was meant to recreate the difficulties faced by teens who live in shelters, COVID transformed this event into what has become: on a Friday night from about 6 PM - 11 PM in early November,US students under the direction of CA adults and parents sort all the non-perishable food donations and create a store (see the pic on our homepage) in preparation for the various middle school service-learning opportunities. In 2022 we hope to have the grade 6 students join the US students.
Grades 4,5,6,7 and 8 Service Days
Using the demographics and wishes of our sponsored families (every attempt is made to keep the identity of our sponsored families private) provided by the Childhood League Center and Royal Manor, grades 6 & 7 students select a week's worth of non-perishable food items for each of our 32 sponsored families. They pack up the food into boxes for delivery later in November.
Grade 5 selects personal hygiene items; Grade 4 travels to a nearby Meijer and selects/purchases perishable food items. Funding for much of these grade-level service learning projects is provided by the Galbreath Family Service Fund and an anonymous donor.
Once all the items have been selected from the various drive sites for the 32 sponsored families by CA sponsoring classrooms, Grade 8 students under the direction of Grade 8 advisors and PACA reps pack up all the donated items that were not selected for the sponsored families. Once the trucks are loaded the students travel to the Childhood League Center where they create a store for additional families from the Childhood League. Students make all the preparations for a big day of shopping on the following Saturday. US students staff the store and help families shop and load their cars.
Carts
Clothes and food are collected in grocery carts (provided by the local Meijer) placed at the Lower and Upper School school drop-off points and at the bus circle. Students unload the carts in the Barton Room Lobby or Athletic Lobby.
Clothing Drive reuse, recycle, redistribute
One of CA’s oldest traditions is the clothing drive. Led by PACA parent volunteers with active participation and plenty of contributions made by students, parents, faculty, and staff, gently used clothing items, toys, books and various household items are gathered and matched to meet the needs of our sponsored families.
Delivery
Each year in November students, faculty, staff, administrators, and parents team up to deliver all the goods gathered for sponsored families as suggested by the Childhood League and Royal Manor Elementary.
Faith Mission (Second Tuesday of Each Month)
The second Tuesday of each month during the school year students and faculty travel to Faith on 8th to serve a hot meal to homeless men. Affinity and parent groups are welcome to make the meal too. Staff members Nurse Beckie Hoagland and MS Math teacher, Matt McCue, lead this event each month.
Recycling (weekly)
Every week Service Board members gather the school’s paper/plastic/glass recycling. RUMPKE recycling is our business partner.
Tidy Up Thursday (weekly)
Every Thursday after school students will empty the upper school classroom recycling bins and attend to the recycling in Dennett, Parents, Academy and Morris Halls.
Blood Drives (October, January, and April)
Each year the Service Board hosts three blood drives total in the fall, winter, and spring. Under the direction of faculty member Grade 2 teacher,Alicia Crain, students are encouraged to donate. Since many students are donating for the first time, lots of volunteers spend their time encouraging and supporting donors through the pre-donation waiting period and donation process.
Candy Cane and Kisses Sales (Early December, Mid February)
For a week the Service Board creates a booth and sells Candy Canes or a bag of 10 Hershey's Kisses for $1 each. These may be sent to fellow US students or teachers. Proceeds support Faculty Staff Appreciation Day.
Faculty Staff Appreciation Day (Late January)
In January the Service Board in conjunction with Student Council provides a catered meal to thank the faculty, staff, and administrators for their support and dedication to the school community. Dessert is provided by the Chinese-American community.
Bread Baking and Project Linus (MLK and Presidents' Day Holidays)
Using a video provided by Baking 4 Good (King Arthur Flour) and supplies provided by the Service Board and King Arthur Flour, about 50 students gather in the dining hall to make and bake bread for distribution at Faith Mission and other shelters. While the bread rises, students decorate muslin squares that will be made into quilts by Project Linus volunteers. Project Linus provides blankets to children who are terminally/chronically ill or have suffered a trauma.
Service Fair (mid-April)
In April the Service Board hosts a Service Fair for students learn more about service sites where they might complete CA's service graduation requirement. To make the event more fun, Service Board members provides tasty treats. Sites include those where students have personal experiences: e.g. Buddy Up Tennis and Fitness, Acing Autism, Sunrise Assisted Living (senior living for those struggling with memory issues), LifeCare Alliance/Meals-On-Wheels, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, WARM and Columbus Libraries Homework Help.
SMAD: Students Making a Difference (May/June)
The Service Board collects gently used items donated from lockers and classrooms at the end of each school year to distribute to needy students in Ohio. Items are sorted and boxed by CA students for delivery to schools in central Ohio.
(2-3 times per week, year round -- see this link for details)
During COVID US Service Board students built and installed three Blessing Boxes near CA. A Blessing Box is modeled on "Little Libraries", but instead of containing reading materials to share, a Blessing Box contains non-perishable food and personal hygiene items. Its purpose is to meet short-term needs for the homeless and/or underserved population in the Gahanna community. Boxes are on major thoroughfares located near bus lines to support those dependent on public transportation. Supplies to support the boxes are located in the US service office (A 106) known as the SHACK.
Clothing Exchange Closet and POP-UPs reuse, recycle, redistribute
To support all students who might need a change of clothing, some gently used spirit wear or gently used dress code clothing, CA has established a no-cost Clothing Exchange Closet. Located in the lowest level of Van Syckel Hall (aka the Middle School) near the Nurses' Offices, this resource room is open during school hours and provides gently used dress-code items and spirit wear. The room is maintained by PACA reps, teachers and student volunteers. Drop-off collection boxes are located in the lobby of the US, the main entrance of the LS and outdoors at the Bus Circle. Clothing donations are what make the closet a possibility; no new items are purchased to support the closet. Emphasis is placed on: reuse, recycle, redistribute.
About four times a year (late-July, at Oct. conferences, at Dec. break, at March conferences), the CA Clothing Exchange Closet is emptied, and all items are staged outside Morris Hall so that all members of the CA community may select items 24/7. Again the items are available at no cost and there is no limitation on the number of items someone might take. Donations are accepted.