2017-2018

Class of 2019 Lead Projects

Angela Kotsifas

For my lead project, Brianna Drake and I co-led volunteering for a book and bake sale over the span of four days. The project lasted from Thursday, January 18th to Sunday, January 21st at the Morse Institute Library in Natick. Initially, Brianna and I sent an email to students at Natick High School and made a spreadsheet for individuals to sign up to volunteer for certain times during the sale. We needed volunteers for all four days and a lot of heavy lifting was done so this was very useful. Next, Brianna and I went each day and helped move and organize boxes of books. Additionally, we spent an adequate amount of time baking cookies, cupcakes and brownies for the bake sale on Saturday and Sunday. Our work had a total impact on the Friends of the Library, the organization running it, and was very beneficial to get the book sale arranged. The money raised from the book and bake sale goes to funding the library (for new books, museum passes etc.). We had many members of the National Honors Society volunteer for several days to assist and we also collected baked goods from several individuals. Overall, this project went very well and the runner of the sale requested us to assist with the next sale in May!

Brianna Drake

This project overall went very well, Angela and I were able to recruit many students to help organize the books before and during the book sale. In the end $10,000 was raised to help the library. One thing that could have gone better is that we could have gotten more people to bake for the bake sale because most of out volunteers were to help the actual book sale. We also could have given an earlier notice so we could plan better and get even more volunteers. The library benefitted as all the money raised went to them, and the Friends of The Morse Institute Library benefitted as they had more help with the heavy books.

John Finnerty

Our lead project is being co-coaches of a 4th-grade rec basketball team. This involves practices every Tuesday (7:15-8:15 pm) at Ben Hem and games on Saturdays at either Brown(1 pm) or Memorial Elementary School (2 pm). Prior to the beginning of the season, we attended two informational and instructional meetings regarding our roles and responsibilities as coaches. Upon receiving the list of players that would be on our team, we called the families of each player to briefly introduce ourselves and give some information about the beginning of the season. We held a meeting with the parents to discuss information and expectations for the season, as well as communicated throughout the year with them via email about updates, player attendance, etc. Before each practice, we comprised a plan for what drills we want to do and what skills we will develop in the players for that day (usually takes 15 minutes). Our time as coaches greatly impacts the players on the team. They are just starting out playing basketball and one of our main goals was to get them excited and motivated about playing the game, as well as encouraging them to stick with it in the future. For this reason, we maintained a very positive attitude at games and practices, ensuring players that making mistakes is okay and that it is part of the process of becoming a better player. At the beginning of each practice, the team reflected on what went well and what we struggled with in the previous game, which taught them the importance of self-reflection and improving on weaknesses. We gave each player individual advice on their game when we saw fit so that they can learn how to improve and are motivated to do so. Lastly, we greatly stressed team play and the importance of supporting our teammates in building a strong, positive team culture. Because it was required to have an adult with us, one of our fathers was present at each practice/game, but they did not have a significant role. From our jobs as coaches, we learned how to manage a group of kids and teach them the skills of basketball. Overall, we gained important organizational and communication skills as well as ways to motivate others and give constructive criticism.

Katerina Exarchos

On February 16, 2018, I organized a “Girl’s Night” where I met with a group of 27 junior girls (ages seven through eleven) and spoke to them about women empowerment. Parents dropped of their daughters at Revolution Martial Fitness, my martial arts studio, and left them under my supervision (along with a few helpers) from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. A few teen girls helped out to provide strong female role models at the event and my coworker Kristen helped out to be an adult supervisor. The junior girls filled out “empowerment cards”, engaged in learning martial arts, and socialized with each other. This event impacted the young girls by hopefully encouraging them to feel confident with themselves and be proud to be a girl. The night was super fun and I hope to hold more Girls Nights in the future.

Caitlin Hannon

For my lead project, I helped plan and volunteered at a fundraiser for The Center of Development for Children on February 10th, 2018. The CDC is an independent, non-profit preschool in Dover, Ma. The fundraiser was a Chili Cook-Off that raised money for the school and served as a social event for the families of the school. My responsibilities before the event included planning and preparing crafts that were set out during the event to occupy the children. I was also responsible for setting up the venue of the event beforehand. During the event, I ran activities for the children that included crafts and face painting. After the event, I had the responsibility of helping clean up. Overall, I feel that the project went extremely well because the school was able to raise a lot of money and the kids enjoyed the activities!

Nicholas Harvell

My lead project is co-coaching a 4th grade recreational basketball team with my friend, Roger Finnerty. We have practice every Tuesday (1 hour) at Ben Hem and our games are on Saturdays at either Brown (1pm) or Memorial Elementary School (2pm). Before the season began, I went to two informational coaches meetings to learn about mine and Roger’s responsibilities as coaches. At the end of the meeting, we received the list of players that would be on our team, so we called the families of each player to first introduce ourselves and discuss the beginning of the season. We also held a brief meeting with the parents to discuss what we would be doing as coaches throughout the season, and we continue to keep in touch with parents during the season through email. Before each practice, we write down a plan on what skills and drills we want to run in order to help develop our players. Our time as coaches greatly impacts the players on the team both on and off the court. Their basketball career is just beginning and one of our main goals is to get them excited and motivated about playing, as well as encouraging them to stick with basketball in the future. We also want the kids to know that they can talk to us about any off-court issues as well (bullying, problems with teammates, school, etc.). At the beginning of each practice, the kids reflect on where we excelled and where we need work based on the previous game. This teaches them the importance of self-reflection and improving on weaknesses. We also give each player individual advice on their game when we see fit while they are on the bench so they can learn how to improve when they get back on the court and are motivated to do so. Lastly, we encourage team play and the importance of supporting our teammates in building a strong, positive team culture. Our number one goal is to make sure that there are no issues between kids so everyone on the team can have fun playing. It was required to have an adult over the age of 18 be part of the coaching staff, so myself or Roger’s dad is always at a game or practice, but they have no significant role. From our jobs as coaches, we learned how to manage a group of young kids and introduce them the basic skills of basketball. Throughout the year so far, we have been able to improve our communication and organizational skills as well as the ability to motivate others.

Kathryn Blinn

For my lead project, I helped plan and run a fundraiser for The Center for the Development of Children on February 10, 2018. The fundraiser was a chili cook-off to raise money for the school to provide the classrooms with iPads for learning purposes. Beforehand, I helped plan and prepare crafts for the children. I helped set up the fundraiser by arranging tables and the raffle, as well as preparing the chilis. During the event, I ran crafts and face painting for the children and helped tally the votes. Afterwards, I helped clean and pack up the fundraiser. Overall, I think it went very well as we fundraised over 2,000 dollars for the school.

Maria Trofimow

For my lead project, I helped to plan and run a fundraiser for The Center for the Development of Children, an independent, non-profit preschool, on February 10, 2018. The fundraiser was a chili cook-off for the families of the preschool and all of the proceeds went towards buying iPads for the classrooms to enhance learning. Before the event, my responsibilities included were planning, organizing, and setting up crafts for the children at the fundraiser, as well as setting up. At the event, I ran the face painting table for the kids. Afterwards, I was responsible for cleaning up all of the supplies from the fundraiser. Overall, I think that the project went well, as the school reached their fundraising goal and the kids really enjoyed the activities.

Victoria Carmenate

Overall, bringing my friends to work on Natick Community Organic Farm was really successful and fun. It was a great experience to teach my friends what I do at my job on most days. We started the day doing animal chores and spent the rest of the day going around town and collecting sap from trees. We did this for 3 days for 8 hours a day. Something that could have gone better is that we could have gone for the full week, or I could have brought more of my friends to the farm. My friends and I enjoyed this experience, and I hope to do it again.

Rebecca Tulman

On March 29, 2018, at B/Spoke in Wellesley, I helped co-lead a charity ride in honor of a friend that died recently. It was a 45-minute ride to celebrate and remember Olivia, and all of the proceeds were donated to her favorite charity, The Equine Rescue Network. Throughout the process of the project, I met with my friend who co-lead the event with me, figured out which juices Cocobeet would donate, and have meetings with the manager at B/Spoke. The ride made a huge impact on Olivia's family and the surrounding community who was affected. The ride went really well, and the class ended up filling up last minute. After the event, we had juices and truffles donated from Cocobeet because Olivia used to work there with me. I learned a lot from this experience and it gave me more confidence to do more events.

Caitlin Cushing

For my lead project, I co-led a team for the Special Olympics Passion Plunge with Ryan McNeill. Ryan and I got people to sign up for our team, fundraised after school at Roche Brothers, and on the day of the event (February 10th) we jumped into Lake Cochitutate! The project went really well, we had 23 team members out of our goal of 20, and we raised $2,698, nearly tripling our goal of $1,000. All this money will go towards the Massachusetts Special Olympics, an amazing cause. On the day of the event, we lucked out because although there was 14 inches of ice to cut out to get to the water, it was about 50° outside so it wasn't all that bad! We all dressed in penguin costumes when we jumped in and ended up getting featured in the Metrowest Daily News. The project could have been better if we started planning even earlier in advance so that we could have raised more money and gotten more team members. The event was extremely uplifting and I'm glad were were able to take part in it.

Jacob Greenberg

For my lead project, Zak Jacobs and I co-led an event at our temple, Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, for kids interested in joining the youth group. The event was from Friday, March 23 to Saturday, March 24. Zak and I planned the event together and slept at the temple overnight. We wanted the event to be welcoming to the community for the kids attending. We wanted to create a fun time that also was somewhat insightful to what they could do over their next five years with the temple. We had the help of Hailey Joseph, who helped us plan the event and execute the activities. She had a "figure skating" station where groups made routines to music. Zak and I had a mini golf station where we played mini golf through the halls of the temple. We chose these activities because they represented the most fun things that we had done during our time with the youth group. We did this because we wanted to grow and strengthen our community.

Zakary Jacobs

For my lead project, Jacob Greenberg and I co-led an event at our temple, Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, by organizing, attending, and leading the event. The event began on Friday, March 23 and ended on Saturday, March 24. Jacob and I planned everything that went on at the event and slept at the temple overnight, controlling what went on, leading 7th graders in our fun programs. We wanted the event to be welcoming to the Temple community for the 7th grade kids attending. We wanted to create a fun environment that also was somewhat insightful to what these 7th graders could do over their next five years with the Temple teen community. We had the help of Hailey Joseph, who helped us plan the activities at the event and execute the activities. She had a "figure skating" station where groups made routines to music in funny costumes. To earn these costumes, the kids had to answer trivia questions correctly. Jacob and I had a mini golf station where we played mini golf through the halls of the Temple. We chose these activities because they represented the most fun things that we had done in the events during our time with the Temple youth group. We did this because we wanted to expand our leadership skills, as well as strengthen our community.

Carley Bennet

For my lead project, I organized and lead an overnight at my church for the youth program. The “lock-in” was from Maundy Thursday, 3/29, to Good Friday 3/30. The responsibilities that I took on were: organizing donations for food, preparing food, organizing chaperones, planning games and activities, planning a schedule, getting the materials that we needed, and being there, leading the overnight. My efforts in planning this overnight for the youth at St. Paul’s greatly helped the youth mentors and the youth coordinator. Overall, for me the lock-in was a bit stressful to manage, having 27 rambunctious and messy kids in attendance. According to the kids, they had a great time, and the adults said it was wonderful to try out older youth in leadership roles. From the many parents that have come up to me, I have heard about many positives that came from this overnight. A boy on the autism spectrum bonded with another kid and shy kids came out of their shell and opened up. Overall, I think this was a very successful project, and I hope to help more with the youth at St. Paul’s Natick.

Jackson Bradford

Over the past weekend, starting on Good Friday and ending on Holy Saturday, I had traveled to Lexington and stayed at St. Brigid’s Parish to take part in the leadership team for Abide. The purpose of the weekend was to gather a group of teens to fast and raise money to help those who are hungry and provide service for people while they are fasting. In preparation for this weekend, I had to attend multiple meetings to help plan, prepare, and discuss ideas for the Abide weekend. During the two day retreat, I was tasked to guide a group of individuals through a discussion about faith and help lead by the group from my parish while we were at service. My parish, St. Patrick’s Parish in Natick, had been tasked to travel to Bedford to the VA hospital to volunteer for a portion of the day, around six hours. This was our service our parish was able to leave a lasting and positive impact on the residents at the hospital. One of the people who I had spent most of the time with at the hospital was confined to a wheelchair, and myself along with one of my friends took him around the hospital. For me it was a very powerful experience spending time with this man. At one point, he had asked us if we could go outside for a moment. While we sat in the sun, another man exited the hospital and walked down four steps that made up the front staircase. The man we were sitting with then said, “if there were one thing I wish I could do, it would be to walk down those stairs.” When I had heard this, it was much like a smack in the face. As I am so used to doing simple things like walking I become forgetful of how lucky I am to be able to do such a small thing. After this I began to appreciate the little things about my life, as they make up a large part of my life. At the end of the retreat, I drove myself home hungry and so happy that I had volunteered for this weekend. I had not been so happy in such a long time, and from this weekend, I was left smiling and wanting to help people more than ever before.

Emma Yanovitch

For my lead project I volunteered for the Natick Neptunes town swim team as a volunteer coach from November until March. I helped create sets, cheer on the kids, and assist the coaches at meets to get all the young swimmers where they needed to be. Practices were 2 hours every Monday and Wednesday at the Wayland town pool and meets were on Sundays usually lasting most of the afternoon. I was assisted by the other volunteer coaches as well as the head coaches. Before each practice, I would come to the pool early to contribute to the practice agenda and I occasionally took attendance when needed. Over the course of the season I got to see all the young swimmers take my feedback and improve at all the meets they swam at. Developing relationships with all the kids I coached allowed me to improve my leadership skills and make a positive impact on their lives, as well as my own.

Kailee Palmgren

For my lead project, Vanessa Barreto and I decided to bring Belle of the Ball to Natick High School. Belle of the Ball is an organization that collects used prom dresses, and sells them to high school girls who otherwise couldn't afford to go to their prom. Our goal was to collect as many used prom dresses from our peers as we could, and it was a hard task. We asked our family friends, other students, and coworkers to help us out. Starting on March 23rd, we put bins into a few classrooms to collect any dresses people were willing to donate, and on March 31st, Vanessa and I drove to Anton's Cleaners to donate the dresses. We were able to donate 46 dresses to Belle of the Ball, helping many high school girls find their perfect dress at an affordable price.

Brooke LeBlanc

On Friday, April 6th, I gathered a group of volunteers from National Honor Society to help out at the Lilja auction. At the Lilja Auction, parents bid on many different items ranging from gift certificates to baskets that are put together by the classes of Lilja school. Throughout the night we helped to set up all the items, check people in and out, organize winners, carry items, and overall help the event run more smoothly. I could tell that the parents running the auction were extremely grateful for our help and they said that because of us, the event was much easier to put on than in previous years. It was also great that our help allowed for the adults to enjoy the night more, rather than worrying about the behind the scenes work because after all these parents deserve to enjoy the night in support of their kids. Overall I thought the project was very successful and I hope that I can help out again next year!

Alex Campbell

On Saturday, April 7, 2018, I participated in the 9th annual Walk to End Homelessness organized by Family Promise Metrowest. I co-lead a fundraising team with Thein Tran and recruited six other friends to help raise money and to walk with us. We all registered to walk on the Family Promise Metrowest website and donated $10 each. Prior to the event, our team raised money the week leading up to the walk. In total, we raised around $500 to donate. The day of the walk, our team spent the morning walking from the Natick Senior Center to Natick High and back to raise awareness about homelessness. Our work and donations will impact the lives of many homeless families by providing them with shelter and support. Overall, the event was very successful.

Thien Tran

On Saturday April 7, 2018 I participated in the 9th annual Walk to End Homelessness organized by Family Promise Metrowest. I co-lead a fundraising team with Alex Campbell and recruited six other friends to help raise money and to walk with us. We all registered to walk on the Family Promise Metrowest website and donated $10 each. Prior to the event, our team raised money. In total we raised around $500 to donate. The day of the walk, our team spent the morning walking from the Natick Senior Center to Natick High and back to raise awareness about homelessness. Our work and donations will impact the lives of many homeless families by providing them with shelter and support. Overall, the event was very successful.

Robert Lagan

For my lead I taught CCD classes at the parish St. Linus Church Thursday from late February to mid-April. Throughout the process I created a lesson plan for each night and led group discussions with a group of 10 fourth graders about the Catholic faith. I answered questions and conducted fun games, crafts, and stories about God that the children could relate to. In retrospect, it was an enriching experience and I'll definitely do something similar to that again in the future.

Joseph Rodman

On Saturday April 21, I co-led a trash pickup project with Nick Goudsmit at the Duxbury beaches. We chose to do the cleanup project the day before Earth Day (4/22) so that the people visiting the beach on earth day would have a more welcoming and beautiful environment to enjoy. For a week, we sent emails and texts coordinating with the Duxbury Police Department and Duxbury Harbormaster Department to plan our project. When we arrived, we met with the Harbormaster who was on duty that day, and were given instructions on where to cleanup and how to dispose of the trash after it was picked up. The beach stretched 6 miles in length, however in our 4 hours of pickup there, we were only able to take care of the most popular 2 mile stretch of the beach. We were pleasantly surprised by the low amount of trash on the beach, and in all only filled four trash bags. I hope to be able to do more environmentally friendly projects like this around Natick in the Future.

Nicholas Goudsmit

For our lead project, Joseph Rodman and I arranged and conducted a trash clean-up at Duxbury Beach on April 21, 2018. We decided that we would pick up trash for our lead in order to have an Earth Day themed project that benefits both the people who visit the beach and the wildlife/ecosystem of the area. Prior to the beach cleanup, we coordinated with the Duxbury Police Department and the Duxbury Harbor Police to schedule a date, time and location that would work for Joseph and I to clean the beach. Duxbury beach has an ocean-side and a lake-side, separated by an expanse of dunes. Our entire project took a total of seven hours to complete, as Joseph and I surveyed both sides of the dunes along a two mile stretch for any garbage. The two of us ended up filling four trash bags with miscellaneous plastics, paper bags, styrofoam and other items. We did not have nearly enough time to span the six mile stretch of beach and lake, however, we thoroughly cleaned the two miles that we covered and were (happily) underwhelmed by the amount of trash on the beach. The majority of the garbage that we collected was found on the edge of the dunes on the lake-side of the region due to careless disposal of garbage by visitors of the beach. I am happy to have been able to co-lead this project and do something beneficial for the ecosystem of Duxbury beach for Earth Day.

Toni Sterling

For my lead project, Lilian Briggs and I planned and set up donation boxes collecting diapers in the front lobby of the high school, the front lobby of the pre-school, and with one box outside of Ms. Pandalfo’s classroom. To set up the donation boxes we met with Ms. Kinkead, the principal of the pre-school, Ms. Bertucci, one of the vice principals of the high school, and Ms. Pandolfo, the child-development teacher, and received their permission to set up our donation boxes. Lilian and I constructed and decorated the boxes before bringing them to the school. To advertise our lead, we hung up flyers, put an advertisement on the announcements, and put an advertisement on the screens around the school. We checked the boxes at least once a week, and counted and stored the donations at my house. We collected diapers for A Place to Turn in Natick because they were currently low on diapers and needed them to help provide for families in Natick and Framingham. Lilian and I brought in our donation of the diapers we collected on Wednesday, April 18th. I think overall the lead went well, we surpassed our initial goal, and were able collect 570 diapers within a month to help those in need.

Rowen Trask

I lead a team on the Walk to End Homelessness for my lead project. I organized a group of friends to raise money and walk for the cause. We walked from the Natick Senior Center to Natick High School and back in order to support those who live without a home. All of the money raise from the event was donated to the unfortunate families without a home by providing them with shelter and support. This was the 9th annual Walk to End Homelessness and was organized by Family Promise Metrowest. The money was raised through the Family Promise Metrowest website while the walk took place on the 7th of April. In the end, over $160,000 was raised by the whole event. I'm glad to have been a part of the walk and I hope that my contribution helped another family in need of support.

Lilian Briggs

As my lead project, I worked with Toni Sterling to collect diapers in the high school and preschool for A Place to Turn's Diaper Drive. We started planning in early February, and after a few weeks of discussing with various staff members of the high school, preschool, and volunteers at A Place to Turn, we started our project. Our collection began on March 1st and lasted until April 5th. During this time, we put announcements on the TV's in the hallways, flyers were hung around the school, and we put a reminder in the morning announcements which ran every other day for the duration of the collection. We placed two boxes in the preschool wing (one outside of the front door, and one outside of Ms. Pandolfo's room) and one in the front lobby of the high school. We checked on these frequently to collect any donations. In the end, we received 570 diapers which we brought to A Place to Turn on April 18th.

Grace Alcott

For my lead I was in charge of the tour guides for step up night. I needed to find 25 people to volunteer as tour guides to lead the tours. Along with getting enough people to sign up I had to get information from Ms. Finocchi and take her suggestions and give the information to the people that signed up. With that also making little cards that the tour guides could take with them to make sure they hit all of the key aspects of the high school but still have the ability to add anything they thought was necessary. One of the only problems that I had was people saying they could originally help but then the day of saying they could no longer do it. Thankfully the whole thing went pretty smooth and everyone was able to lead tours and there was not any large issues. With the help of other students as well we were able to make posters to help people find the tours.I believe that the parents and students that went on the tours were able to gain key information that will help them or their child be more prepared for their transition to high school. Overall, the project went well and I am glad to have been apart and in charge of it.

Kerri Johnson

For my lead project I co-led a cape project with Tucker Green for the Epilepsy foundation for their walk on May 12. Along with some of our other peers in National Honor Society, we traced, measured, and cut out 90 capes on April 11th 2018 at my house in Natick. We each asked some of our close friends in NHS to help us for assist hours as we only needed a small group of students. There ended up being 8 students, including both of us. Before the event, I drove to the Epilepsy head quarters and received the tracer for the capes and spoke with the head of recruitment about patterns/fabric for the capes. I then went out and bought material for the capes, fabric scissors, and fabric markers. It was very useful to have the other NHS students to help as we created a tracing/measuring station and a cutting station. The capes will be worn by both adults and children in the epilepsy walk next week. The foundation was very appreciative of us making 90 out of the 500 capes they need for the walk. Other school groups helped contribute to those 500 capes and they were all made in time for the walk. Overall, this was a great project to take part in!

Madison Gaudet

This year Emilly Borges, Andy Carlson and I planned a benefit concert in order to support the organization Rise Against Hunger. Rise Against Hunger is an organization that has the goal to end world hunger by 2030 and we really wanted to help them reach their goal in any way we could! We sat down with our teachers and administration to find dates and times that would work for the event and then started the planning process. We recruited acts entirely made up of and led by students so that they could show off all the work they put into creating music. We rehearsed and organized, tons of emails and meetings, and then the day of the concert came and it was so successful. The concert was held in the auditorium at Natick High from 6:00-8:00 PM which was a short amount of time compared to the months of work. Together we raised exactly $1000 and chose to take no money out in order to reimburse the purchases of snacks, waters, decorations, etc. as we thought it was important to give as much as we could to this organization. The support we received from the community was spectacular, everyone had so much fun, and offered so much to our cause. We sent the money to the organization and they will send food, clothing, or life-saving aid to any of the 70+ countries they work in.

Alison Dischinger

For my lead project, I worked with Katie Blinn to make fleece scarves that will be donated to the Natick Service Council. Our planning for this project included gathering the materials needed, finding a place that would accept our donation, and gathering a group of volunteers. We were able to gather a small group of other members to come and help us on a Saturday afternoon. Originally, we planned to try to make 30 scarves but we were able to make a total of 49. The scarves donated will be used in the fall and winter and given to families in the care bags that they are given during the holidays. Overall, I was really happy with how the project turned out because, in the end, we were able to make more scarves than we originally planned which means that more people will receive one.

William Green

For my lead Kerri and I made capes for the Epilepsy foundation. These capes will be worn by little kids with epilepsy participating in the walk. Overall our project went very smoothly, we were able to get a bunch of help from people looking for their assist hours. We were able to get all of the capes made in a timely fashion and prepared it all very well. Overall this went very well.

Michael Berelowitz

For my lead project, Thatcher Schechtman and I organized a team for the Walk for Hunger in Boston on May 6. We advertised the walk so more people would know about it and support this good cause, and we got people to join our team. We also donated money and fundraised to help support people who currently do not have the same privileges as us and struggle to feed themselves and their families. Our team collectively raised $199. I was unfortunately unable to go to the walk, but I talked to the people who did go and they said it went very well. It felt very good knowing we made a difference in the lives of people in need.

Nicholas Bishop

My lead project was cleaning up trash on Hampshire Drive and behind Mandarin Cafe on Wethersfield Road on Sunday, May 6th from 7 AM -12 PM. My dad and I usually clean up the bushes on the side of Hampshire Drive once a year since he feels that the trash makes the road look bad. But for this year I decided to clean up the road and local business without my dad but with some friends. I had help from other National Honors Society people including Chris Burnes, Cory Meehan, Jack Morrison, and Jay Sant. Before we began, I contacted the DPW to ensure that townspeople and store/home owners would be informed about the cleanup so there was no miscommunication about what my group was doing on the property. I lined three trash barrels with plastic bags for the trash as we set out to clean up. While cleaning, we had positive impacts on the neighbors. A dog walker stopped to compliment us for cleaning up the area since she often walks by and feels that the trash is an eyesore. Other people who drove by looked friendly and would wave at us which made us feel like the cleanup was well worth the work. Another person stopped while driving to tell us that we were doing a great thing and that more people should do cleanups like this. By then end of our cleanup, we had three full trash bags filled to the top with garbage that was littered on the side of the road and in a wooded area behind the Mandarin Cafe. This project positively impacted the neighborhood by having clean bushes and roads. Also, it helped myself and the people who cleaned up learn the importance of service to the community and seeing first-hand how people appreciate this work. We also helped the local business and homes have clean property which can help their property look cleaner and less of an eyesore due to the litter. The project overall went great and many people were helped because of it, and I learned to appreciate the hard work of cleaning up the environment since it makes the neighborhood look much better.

Ellen Gagner

As a lead project, Maggie Slamin and I co-led a bake sale at Roche Bros in Natick to raise money for Buddy Dog which is a non-kill animal shelter who are dedicated to finding new homes for homeless dogs and cats. To prepare for the bake sale I made signs for the table and we both baked goods as well as manned the table during the actual bake sale itself. Overall it went really well and we raised a lot more money than we expected due to the generosity of those in the community. Donating to this charity will help countless dogs and cats find loving homes for life.

Jenna Wright

For my lead project, I collected donations and created my own team for the 6k Walk For Water in Hopkinton at the Faith Community Church in Hopkinton on May 5th. I emailed my friends and asked if they wanted to join my team and walk with me, I was able to put together a team of 5. I also collected donations for the event. One fifty dollar donation provides a water filter to provide clean water for up to a year void of any harmful water-borne diseases. I had my own fundraising page where I was able to raise $175 dollars to donate to World Vision, the charity that organized the event. This means that I was able to provide a long term source of water for 3 kids in impoverished countries. The distance of 6k is the average distance that the children the event sponsored had to walk to get unfiltered water for their families. Walking the same distance as them really enriched my perspective on my life and my access to resources. By participating in this event I was able to help not only the children I sponsored, but their whole community by providing water filters to help try to one day eradicate water-borne illnesses, and making their lives easier so they do not have to skip school to collect water. I would definitely be interested in helping out with this event next year also because of how great the cause is.

Bina Landis

For my lead project, I created a lesson plan for kindergarteners at the religious school at Temple Israel of Natick. I created a bingo game to help the kids review the Hebrew letters that they have been learning all year. I had to think about prizes to give to the children and ways to incorporate a girl with disabilities into the game. I decided to give out Hershey kisses as a prize and had the little girl pick out the letters from a box. The bingo game went well and the kids enjoyed it very much. Something that could have gone better was if the kids were able to match the pictures I held up to the pictures on their board. Overall, the lesson went well and the kids enjoyed it.

Owen Sorber

For my lead project, I co-led a team with Sammy Siegel to participate in Project Bread’s 50th annual Walk For Hunger in Boston, MA. As part of our lead roles, Sammy and I had to recruit a team of other National Honor Society members, coordinate travel plans, lead the fundraising effort, and ensure that everyone on our team was aware of our walking plans. Our team raised over $300 during the two weeks before the walk, which is enough to provide over 500 food-insecure families and children with a hot meal. On Sunday, May 6th, we took MBTA transportation into Boston and began walking in Boston Common. By walking, we were able to support the cause of ending hunger in Massachusetts and spread awareness about the ways we can help those who are less fortunate. Overall, even though it was somewhat difficult to coordinate transportation, the project went very successfully and I am confident we made a positive impact on many families in this state.

Grace Connolly

For my lead project, I coached a practice in Boston at a youth track club, based out of a program called YES. YES (short for Youth Enrichment Services) helps Boston’s inner city youth and teens receive an affordable program of physical activities both in and outside of the classroom to build a foundation of leadership. Being a runner myself and seeing how one of YES’ fastest growing segments is the track and field program, I was ecstatic to bring my athletic philosophies, training and motivation to the track athletes in this group. As soon as I got there, I helped to sign the kids in right before I led them through a dynamic warm-up consisting of a light jog and drills prior to our workout on the track. After splitting the athletes into age groups, we then began the workout as I instructed everyone throughout the run, giving important tips, advice, and motivation to those in need. Once the kids completed the workout, we then finished with a fun “Traffic Light” game that all of the athletes had never played before, but enjoyed immensely. One thing that could’ve gone better within this project was for me to split the groups a bit more evenly based on running paces since the track got a bit crowded in certain areas. However, this project was a huge success as I was able to bring new ideas to YES’ athletes and build strong connections with some of the runners. I plan to coach other practices for YES over the summer!

Khushal Potdukhe

For my lead project, I was in charge of a team for Project Bread's "The Walk for Hunger." On my part, this meant proactively setting smaller goals for our team and recruiting members for our team. The entire process was overall pretty good, as not only did we reach our goal of raising $500, all team members were present at the walk. This is important as not only did we help show our support for those in need of food, but all the money will be going into the fight against hunger via Project Bread. One thing that could have gone better was that I could have reached out to people earlier for both donations and recruitment. However, this project still remained successful as we achieved all goals.

Sophia Gastaldo

For my lead project, I recruited and organized volunteers for the PMC Kids Ride (May 6, 2018). The PMC Kids Ride is a fundraiser where kids get to ride their bike around a loop at Lookout farm and raise money for research about childhood cancer. My part included creating flyers for the fundraiser and hanging them up in stores around Natick and surrounding towns. I was also in charge of emailing volunteers from past years asking them to volunteer again this year. On the day of the event, I helped set up and clean up. I also helped direct the younger kids as they biked around the loop. Without the volunteers, this fundraiser would not be possible. My part in organizing the PMC Kids Ride was vital to running a smooth event. After the event, we got very positive feedback from the volunteers and participants.

Thatcher Schechtman

I organized and co-led a team with Michael Berelowitz for the Walk for Hunger in Boston on the morning of May 6th. After recruiting people for our team, we raised money and traveled to the Boston Common to walk a several mile course around Boston and the surrounding area, which we completed with two other teams from Natick High. The money we raised for Project Bread (the organization who runs the event) will support and fund local food initiatives around Massachusetts. What I think was most difficult was the transportation to and from the event. Since it was Boston, and we had so many people, we had to take the train in, which was hard to coordinate. However, we had a great time at the walk, and I was surprised to see how many participants there were.

Nasreen Bhumgara

For my lead project, I co-led a book and bake sale with Hailey Joseph. The sale was at the Morse Institute Library from May 17th-20th, involving preparing for the sale, the sale itself, and cleaning up and shutting down the sale. Overall, the project went very well, Hailey and I gathered many students for each day to help out with the organization of the sale, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. One thing that could have gone better was the recruiting of students for the bake sale part of the sale. I think more students should have been aware that they could be apart of that part of the sale by baking things and then selling them the day of the sale. The library raised a lot of money from this book and bake sale, which also benefited Friends of the Morse Institute Library.

Jeffrey Marsh

I organized a food drive for Pearl Street Cupboard of United Way in Framingham for my lead project. The food drive took place at Stop and Shop at Pearl Street in Framingham on Saturday May 19. I was assisted by a friend in National Honors Society, and my family helped move the donations. We collected almost 200 items in a single day and provided many valuable products to the cafe and food pantry at Pearl Street, including jam, jelly, and canned vegetables. The project benefits the hundreds of food insecure people in the Framingham area who utilize the restaurant and pantry. The food drive involved contacting the pantry, receiving permission from the manager of the grocery store to set up, soliciting customers to donate, and then delivering the food. I learned that people were more likely to donate money rather than food products, which may have been due to convenience. We also provided lists of possible foods for people to donate as they entered the store to do their shopping.

John Curley

As our lead project, Lisa Savage and I arranged a fundraiser to support our local Buddy Dog in Sudbury. Going into the project, our goal was to become a “pen pal”, which supports a pen for a dog or cat for an entire year at the facility. To raise this sum of money, we cooperated with Stop and Shop and set up a booth outside of their store, as well as received money from the charity cookout that they had ran that day as well. We sat outside of Stop and Shop from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon on May 6th, and on May 18th, we drove the money out to Buddy Dog. After giving the donation, Michael, the adoption counselor, allowed us to take a walk through the kennel and see the animals which our donation was in support of. Once Lisa and I walked through the doors, we instantly knew that we had made the right decision in supporting Buddy Dog. Arlo, Rosie, and Reggie are just a few of the names of the many dogs which greeted us with tails wagging so hard that their entire body seemed part of the movement. If there was one thing that I would do differently next time around, it would be to have multiple days of fundraising in order to collect more money to donate to the organization. If ever at Buddy Dog, try finding a pen being supported by the Natick High School National Honors Society!

Lisa Savage

I co-led my lead project with Jake Curley. Our goal was to fundraise for Buddy Dog and make 500 dollars to get a pen pal, which would shelter a dog for a year. Our fundraising goal was very successful as we were able to make $500.41 by fundraising in front of Stop and Shop and partnering with their charity cookout. After eight hours of fundraising on May 6th, we brought the money to Buddy Dog on May 18th. It was very rewarding to be able to donate the money to Buddy Dog and then be able to see all the dogs they were caring for. Overall I enjoyed the project, but wish we spent more time fundraising so we would be able to donate more money to Buddy Dog!

Robert Killam

For my lead project, taking place on April 29th, Austin Twiss and I went to two locations around Natick to clean up trash. We cleaned the South Natick Little League Fields as well as Pegan Hill. We first contacted the Natick DPW about our clean up plan before going out to pick up trash. Although it rained the whole time, we managed to pick up almost 50 pounds of trash; most of it from the Little League Fields. The majority of the trash we picked up was in the woods surrounding the fields and in the dugouts. Our goal for this pickup was to create a cleaner place for kids to play baseball and, with the amount of trash we picked up, I’d say we were pretty successful.

Isabel Levine

For my lead project, Sara Clausen and I co-led a trash cleanup of our local parks and walking trails. On the first day of our cleanup, May 14th, our group went to Murphy field and Coolidge hill. On the second day of our cleanup, May 16th, we picked up trash along the Anniballi trail. Each park or trail produced one full garbage bag each. To prepare for our cleanup, I emailed the Recreation department, and coordinated times, dates, and locations that we could clean. Just before the cleanup, Sara Clausen and I went to Home Depot and gathered supplies. The project was overall a success, and we were able to make a considerable difference in our community. Our group was willing to participate and eager to cleanup our local environment. If I were to change one aspect of our project, I would have hoped for more cleanup supplies so picking up the trash would have been more efficient. Unfortunately, the trash-pickers were quite expensive, so we were not able to purchase as many as we needed.

Matthew Cho

For my lead project, Will Soens, Chris Burnes, and I lead a Relay for Life team as captains. The event took place on May 19, at Bowditch Field in Framingham. In the weeks leading up to the event, we attended meetings held by the American Cancer Society, organized a fundraiser at BGood in Natick, and shopped for supplies. Although the weather was not cooperative, we were able to collaborate with other teams to best counter the rain as a whole rather than as separate teams. Our team fundraised $2,730 which is enough to provide 273 cancer patients with rides to their treatment. Overall, despite the weather, Relay for Life as an event worked to raise $114,627.50 which I would call a success. By leading a team this year, I learned that leadership and independence do not go hand in hand. To lead is to reach out to other resources in order to attain a common goal. Whether the goal is something small and local, or large and world-wide, it takes a team to accomplish.

Hailey Joseph

I co-led a project with Nasreen Bhumgara. We led the book and bake sale at Morse Institute Library in Natick Center. We gathered volunteers and helped move boxes of books, organize the books, and helped with the overall sale. The sale overall went very well as we were able to get enough volunteers and accomplish the goals of moving and selling the books. One thing that could have been better was informing students about the event earlier than we did in order to get more students involved, and informed about the event. Overall, this lead project went very well and was very beneficial to the library.

Zachary Lynch

For my project, I organized the donation of materials and funds to make care packages for a Troop Care Package Drive for Hanscom Air Force Base. These care packages included handmade bookmarks and handwritten thank you letters. I was able to collect materials for 25 shoe box sized care packages. My donors were very generous in providing materials and funds. Using the gofundme website and an Amazon wishlist to collect materials worked well. On the other hand, I wish that I had worked on the project at an earlier date, so that I could have had more student volunteers. I believe that I benefited by learning what it means to express gratitude to those who have served our country, and I believe that the soldier recipients will benefit from the materials in the care packages.

Hannah Savoia

For my lead project, I was a captain of a Relay For Life team. Relay for Life is a fundraiser run by the American Cancer Society across the U.S., raising money for cancer research and treatments for cancer patients. This event took place on Saturday, May 19th at Bowditch Field in Framingham and lasted from 12:00 to 6:00 a.m. the next day. Members of my team took turns walking the track in order to spread awareness and raise money for cancer research. Prior to the event, I attended meetings to organize for this day. These meetings helped figure out ways to fundraise, told teams what to bring to the event, and gave teams general information. Overall, this went very well but one thing that could have gone better was raising more money for the event!

Sarah Doherty

I think that teaching the kids went well. After assisting classes with other teachers, I observed what I liked about each class and tried to implement different elements from those lessons when creating my own. I gave the kids different options on what we could do within the hour and I think they enjoyed the chance to chose. Two of the girls ended up getting new skills during the class which was great to see! The only improvement I would make if I were to do it again would be to use the music more effectively in conjunction with the different exercises that we did.

Kaitlyn Wong

Being a Relay for Life Captain was a great experience for me. Typically I just register for the event annually, fundraise, and attend the event, but being Captain gave me an idea of a sliver of what goes into organizing such an amazing event. I had to put together many fundraisers, organize and communicate with my teammates, and attend meetings. I previously had a large appreciation for the volunteers and the workers that put together Relay for Life, but now I have a greater and deeper appreciation for them. Being a Captain at such an amazing gave me great satisfaction that I was contributing towards a great cause. I enjoyed being Captain and would love to do it again next year!

Emilly Borges

This year for my lead project I co-led a benefit concert with Maddie Gaudet and Andy Carlson in order to raise money for the Rise Against Hunger organization. Rise Against Hunger is an international relief organization that provides food and aid in order to combat world hunger which they plan to end by 2030. To put our plan into action, we met with teachers and administrators and held auditions for performers, which were all students at Natick High. We advertised the concert by putting posters all around school and online through our social medias. We created an online donation link where people who were not able to attend could donate. The concert took place on May 5th from 6-8 pm in the auditorium. We were able to raise $1000 by selling tickets, snacks and receiving donations. We wouldn't have been able to have done this without the support from our community and Maddie's family who volunteered at the concert and supported us throughout the whole process. In the end we were able to help communities throughout the world who are in need of many of the necessities that Rise Against Hunger can provide them with.

Samuel Siegel

For my lead project, I co-led a Walk for Hunger team with Owen Sorber. First, we recruited members of our team and got donations. We raised over $300 in total, and we coordinated with two other Walk for Hunger teams at the school to collectively raise nearly a thousand dollars. We also worked with other teams to plan the walk and the logistics of transportation. The walk took place on May 6 on the Boston Common. The three teams, with 11 people in total, took the MBTA to Boston Common. This was probably the most difficult part of the trip to organize, but fortunately everybody showed up on time and made the train. The walk itself was enjoyable, and it was worthwhile to support the cause of ending food insecurity in Massachusetts. I think we did make a difference, however small.

Maeve Clifford

On Friday, May 18th, I ran a free sailing clinic for 7th and 8th graders. I’ve been a member of the Varsity Sailing Team for 3 years now, and during that time, I have received many questions about how people can get their children involved in sailing. Yacht clubs and sailing camps are often far away and expensive. I wanted to provide these students with an opportunity to sail. Many people don’t even know that Natick High School has a sailing team until they are already involved in other sports. I reached out to my sailing coach and the athletic director, Mr. Collins, before the start of the spring season with the idea. They thought it would be a great idea and would help get more students interested in the sport. I created a flyer with information as well as a registration form which I sent to the principals and vice principals of Wilson and Kennedy to be posted on the virtual backpack. Additionally, I reached out to all of the 8th graders which came to the sailing table at Step Up Night, to see if they would be interested in participating. The clinic went well, my coach allowed me to run the clinic completely and I paired a high school sailor with a middle schooler to sail with. In addition to taking them sailing, we taught the middle schoolers how to rig and derig our 420 sailboats, the parts of the boat, and the basics of sailing, including points of sail, tacking and gybing, as well right of way rules. I want to thank Mr. Collins, my sailing coaches, Townie Morey and Mr. Guidice, the principals and vice principals of Wilson and Kennedy, and of course my teammates for making this event possible and successful.

Olivia Sorensen

For my lead project, I helped lead the Morse Institute Library’s Minecraft server open to middle schoolers. I attended meetings from March to May and worked on the server at home as well. I brainstormed ideas for the server and built some of them, and I also taught new players how to play the game. Overall, I think the kids really enjoyed the help I offered and the work I put into the server.

Camryn Woods

For my lead I was a substitute teacher at my dance studio. I taught 3-5 year olds new dance moves as well as stretched and played games. With the age group I taught I expected there to be some difficulties controlling the class for a full hour, but as a whole the class was better behaved than I had anticipated. We danced to songs from the movie Frozen as well as played freeze tag and the museum game. What would have made it even better was if one of the students didn't run out of the room during freeze tag, but other than that my lead went very well!!

Gillian McTague

For my lead project, I organized a birthday party at Impulse Dance Center on May 27th. Throughout the process of my project I organized activities for the kids as well as choreographing a dance for all of them to learn. My work had an impact on the kids and myself because he kids had a fun time learning how to dance and showcasing what they had learned for their parents, and I had fun organizing the activities for them. To help me, I recruited one of my friends from Impulse Dance Center and she co-taught the kids with me as well as helping them get from activity to activity.

Christopher Burnes

For my lead project, I was a captain for Relay for Life in Framingham. I co-led with Matt Cho and Will Soens, and our team raised over $1000 for Cancer Research. The fundraising lasted throughout the spring and we help a fundraiser at B Good where they donated some of the profits to cancer research. This project went well and I am glad to have co-captains because there was a great deal of organizing and planning. Being a captain made me appreciate the effort that goes into organizing these events and I am very thankful for those who donate money and organize these types of events. Overall this project went well and I am very glad I participated in this fundraiser.

Patrick Carr

For my lead project, I was the captain of a Relay for Life team. Being a captain involved attending numerous meetings, raising money and making sure that my entire team was able to raise money. My team was able to raise 1,250 dollars which directly benefitted the American Cancer Society. At Relay, our team also ran an on-site fundraiser which made the event much more enjoyable as well as creating a team basket to donate to the event. Overall Relay For Life with my co-captain Max Ferrucci was a success and we plan to participate in this event next year for such a good cause. The event itself allowed the cause as a whole to raise over $110,000. Raising money and participating in an event like this showed me the benefits of charity and how good it feels to help others.

Cory Meehan

On Saturday May 19th, 2018: I attended ‘Relay For Life’. Relay for life has been going on for more than 15 years and has been a great source of fundraising and awareness for cancer research. This is my second year participating as a captain and leading an 11+ person team alongside Thomas Wester and Jack Morrison. Our duties as captains included creating the team, finding members to join, raising money, and finally, to make sure everyone were to participate. My team members and I raised over $2000. In addition, my teammates and I participated in various games while continuously walking the track. Overall, ‘Relay For Life’ was a fun event to attend for a great cause.

Thomas Wester

For my lead project, I decided to take on the role as team captain for my relay for life team. I managed the team's fundraising, campsite planning, and additionally attended all the event meetings. The event went very well, as everyone on my team had a good time and I raised a total of $245 as an individual and over $2000 as a team of 10. However, the weather conditions played a big role in the event, which lead to our campsite coming to an abrupt end. I plan to continue doing this next year as I always love to take part in fundraising for the fight against cancer.

Samantha McGinn

For my lead project, Devon Hartigan and I organized a team to raise money for the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life. As team captains, we had to attend pre-relay meetings, recruit members for our team, organize fundraisers, and encourage the rest of the team to raise money. We had a team fundraiser at Donelan’s in Wayland and raised almost $300, and our team in total raised over $1,800. By participating in Relay, the money donated to ACS went to support important cancer research and also to financially aid those fighting cancer through rides to and from treatment, hotel stays during treatment, and other resources that some might not be able to afford. I chose Relay for this project because I feel that there is a lot of research to be done against this illness and also I know from family experiences that the cost of cancer treatment can be a major burden that I am glad to be able support others through fundraising for our team. Overall, I think that our Relay team was a success.

Karina Lopez

On May 19th at Bowditch Field in Framingham, I was a captain of a relay for life team. My group and I were able to create a fundraiser ahead of the event in order to collect donations for the American Cancer Society. One of the fundraising ideas we created, was a money jar. The money jar was then located (with permission) in the places we worked. People would donate variety amounts and insert them into the jar. Not only did I have the fundraising ideas and went along with them, but I also went to the meetings the organization held for the relay for life event. The people fighting cancer as well as the American Cancer Society benefitted in this event.

Maximilian Ferrucci

For my lead project, which I co-led with Patrick Carr, I founded a Relay for Life team which participated at The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event in Framingham. Prior to the event, I attended captain meetings, raised money for our team, and brainstormed fundraising ideas. Along with asking for donations, my team and I ran the Jail & Bail station, which was an on-site fundraiser. As a team, we were able to raise $1,250 for The American Cancer Society. Raising money not only benefited The American Cancer Society, but, knowing that we made a difference, benefited us as well. As a whole, Relay for Life was a great experience and I will definitely be back next year.

Megan Gaughan

For my lead project, I was a team captain for the Relay For Life fundraising event at Bowditch Field in Framingham, MA on May 19th and 20th. The event is an overnight fundraiser for cancer research, and the proceeds go to people battling cancer and their families. As a team captain, it was my responsibility to oversee all of my team's fundraising and ensure that all of the fundraising was completed. I attended multiple meetings at the American Cancer Society Office at which I organized my team and made sure that we had everything we needed for the event. Also, I gathered many supplies that we needed leading up to the fundraiser. Overall, this event was very successful despite the weather not cooperating, and it gave me a better understanding of what is necessary to plan such a large and successful fundraiser!

Benjamin Jennings

Shirley Fong and I worked together to both plan and carry out a diversity-focused workshop on Tuesday, May 22 at Natick High. In the weeks leading up to the workshop, the two of us planned out what we would discuss, and put together the appropriate materials. I also made an effort to get the word out to the Gender & Sexuality Alliance. During the actual workshop, we had a small attendance of around 5-10, which ended up being perfect for the activities we did. Some of the people who attended told us afterward that they really liked the way we approached diversity and encouraged us to take our presentation to Mr. Harrigan.

Madison Clark

For my lead project, I was able to organize and recruit people to collect items for the Natick Service Council Food Pantry on Webster Street in Natick. I called many stores to see if we were able to hand out flyers with the items that Kelsey Hampton had given to me when I got in contact with them. To my surprise there were many places that were unable to provide the support for the project we wanted. What I ended up doing is giving the list to a group of my friends and their families. We spent multiple days shopping and couponing. On the list they asked for rice meals, tuna, hamburger helpers, and coffee/tea. We were able to get huge boxes of rice, noodle cups, mac and cheese boxes, green beans, other canned goods, and tons of coffee. I would say we each spent around $25 plus dollars, and the service council was so appreciative. It was amazing to know what we as a group could come together to do, and it was especially touching to know that we could help others in need. As a community I think sometimes we forget that there are still people struggling and even buying one extra item a week at the grocery store for the food pantry could make such a difference.

Molly Burnes

For my lead, Nicole Maxwell and I co-led a skills session for ice hockey players in elementary school. We ran it for 9 weeks, every Saturday at the William L. Chase Arena. Nicole and I led drills, helped to improve the players skating, and tried to make each player get better as the week progressed. This project went very well. Throughout each week we saw great improvements in most of the players, and we could see that they were learning to love to skate. This was a really great experience and it was awesome to see the kids improving each week. One thing that could have gone better is we could have advertised it better so more players came each week. However, other than this, the project was very successful and awesome to be able to help the players each week.

Margret Slamin

Overall I think the project went well! I led this project with Ellen Gagner, and we were able to have a successful bake sale outside of Roche Bros. We raised $257 for the company Buddy Dog, a non-profit, non-kill shelter. It was a lousy day outside(very cold and rainy) however the weather didn't stop people from coming up to our stand. Ellen and I were able to go in and see the animals as well which was nice. A week after Buddy Dog sent us a letter, they were so thankful for our donation, all of the money is going to be spent on pet care for the animals. It was a great lead project and I'm very content with the money we raised for the cause.

Declan Page

Connor and I organized a trail clean up and maintenance event for The Cochituate Aqueduct Trail on May 29th. There were tons of mosquitos. After covering ourselves in bug spray, our group helped to improve the trail. We dumped and spread wood chips over the muddy spots in the trail and over roots that posed a tripping hazard. We also built and relocated a few boardwalks over the really wet areas in the trail. There is still more work that can be done but the trail is much better shape now. Thank you to all that helped! I believe it was a great success.

Connor Reardon

Declan Page and I organized a trail maintenance project for The Cochituate Aqueduct Trail on Tuesday, May 29th. We recruited Josh Cotter, Nick Bishop and Tommy Wester to help us with this project. Together we worked to improve the trail by dumping mulch on wet or uneven parts of the trail and building small bridges over any streams that crossed the trail. This project helped to significantly improve the quality of the Cochituate Aqueduct Trail and it will benefit anyone who wishes to walk the trail in the future.

William Soens

For my lead project, I was captain of a Relay For Life team. Being a captain meant taking on several responsibilities, such as making sure all of my teammates raised money. In addition, I attended several meetings regarding the event prior to the actual date, in order to communicate with the leaders of the event. As a team, we raised $2500 for cancer research as a team, something that I am personally extremely proud of. Some of this money came from the fundraising event that my fellow captains and I were responsible for running. This fundraising took place at BGood in Natick, and although it did not result in a large portion of our overall fundraising, it was very beneficial in terms of the development of my organizational and leadership skills. At the actual event, the weather was somewhat disappointing, posing a challenge for the captains of my team as well as other teams to deal with, as we ended up combining several tents to keep us dry. In leading this team, I learned a great deal about what it means to be a leader. I learned that leadership involves reaching out to people, asking questions, and distributing information to those who do not have it. I learned that in order for something substantial to get done, such as raising $2500 and being prepared for this event, it takes selflessness, responsibility, and commitment.

Shirley Fong

For my lead project, Ben Jennings and I co-led an after-school diversity workshop. The project took about two weeks to plan all the activities while going to Boston to talk to counselors and attend other workshops to fully understand diversity. We wanted to make sure the workshop was very activity oriented rather than a lecture so we did a few activities, most notably the privilege walk. The discussion was very open and filled with engaging experiences from the participants. What could have gone better is if we had more time because we only reached the tip of the iceberg talking about privilege, race, ethnicity, etc. Time was really our only problem, and overall the whole thing was a success! Everyone who was involved and intended this workshop really benefited from it as we all became more open-minded and knowledgeable about different communities.

Sarah Kaprielian

For my lead project, I was a captain for a fundraiser called Relay for Life. The event took place on Saturday May 19th at Bowditch Field in Framingham. As a team we fundraised by sitting outside local markets and recruiting family and friends to donate. As a result we raised over $1,000, in which all of the proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. Besides the poor weather, overall I think the event went really well because we raised a significant amount of money that went to a very good cause.

Nicole Maxwell

Over the past few months, Molly Burnes and I have co-lead hockey skills sessions for new hockey players of all ages. We did this for 9 weeks, and each week we brought in new skills for each kid to learn, and eventually perfect. We ran these drills, taught the kids everything they need to know about hockey, and allowed them to have a great first impression of hockey overall. Week by week, we saw great improvement in each area for each kid. I had a lot of fun, and I would certainly do this again next year. The experience was great because I got to introduce kids to something I am passionate about, and start them on their own hockey career. One thing that could be improved however, is if we had advertised better, so even more kids would be able to come out and play. Overall, it was extremely successful, and every kid had fun each session, while learning the game.

Sara Clausen

For my lead project my co-lead and I gathered a group of people and we cleaned various parks in Natick. We went to Murphy Field, Coolidge Hill, and Pegan Cove. We used pickers to collect the trash and used gloves for our safety. Throughout the multiple days we cleaned the parks we encountered different challenges, such as not having enough bags or not having enough people. However, in the end we collected four bags of trash and helped the Natick parks become a better place.

Devon Hartigan

I led a project with Hand Delivered Hope to create bags to give to people who are living on the street and may be struggling with addiction. I have been collecting supplies including toiletries, blankets, clothing, and many other things over the past two months from donors through a Facebook group. Me and my mom then filled bags with these supplies and distributed them with the help of the Hand Delivered Hope organization. These bags went to struggling addicts in Brockton who were living on the streets. To see people’s eyes light up when they received their bags was truly inspiring and to know that coming out on a Wednesday afternoon made their day was a great feeling. I know I will definitely be doing this project again, hopefully my friends will join me as well.

Madison Schmid

The project was a success, in the sense that my whole team participated at the event, our team raised over six hundred dollars for cancer research, and we had fun at the event! All the parents who chaperoned were arranged and present at the event, team members went out and bought food supplies for the day, and team members helped chip in to bring materials (tent, chairs, table, games, ect.). Due to the constant rain and cold weather, our team did not walk often for the event– although we did participate frequently in the beginning of the event. More laps could have been walked to improve our project, however, it was understandable of our performance due to the weather conditions. My team, the Relay for Life program, and cancer patients/families benefited from my team's participation for our project. My team got great exposure to helping in the cancer support community. The Relay for Life program benefited from the money my team raised and out participation in their event. Lastly, cancer patients and families benefited from the money my team raised as part of our participation in our project.

Isabelle Poulack

My lead project was co-coaching a 3rd-5th grade softball team with Marie Canty. Marie and I were responsible for running the weekly practices that ran from 3-4:30 as well as coaching during the games that were played twice a week. We spent time communicating with the players and their families regarding any issues or concerns. While developing skills was important to us, we were primarily focused on providing the girls with a fun and memorable season that would keep them excited and motivated about playing. As the season progressed, we bonded with the team and became someone the girls could turn to with any problems they had, softball related or not. This was definitely my favorite part of coaching; keeping them excited about the game and being someone they could talk to. Overall, this project went extremely well and taught me ways to effectively communicate and motivate others in order to achieve success.

Brendan Knapp

For my National Honors lead project, I ran a cereal drive on the behalf of the Natick Service Council. The Food Pantry at the Natick Service Council was in need of cereal, so I decided to run a drive to collect cereal. To complete the project, I had to set up the drive by scheduling a meeting with school administration to receive approval for the drive. Next, I spent time telling people about the drive, and was able to get information about my drive into Natick’s parent e-blast. From May 14th to May 25th, I set up a box in the lobby of the High School, collecting donations for the drive. I completed my project alone, although I did receive help from all those who donated and from Natick High School administration. My project was meant to help the Natick Service Council Food Pantry, where my donations would go to those in need of food. I was very happy with the outcome of the project, for by the end I had collected over 20 boxes of cereal.

Jack Morrison

For my lead project myself as well as 2 of my friends (Cory Meehan and Tommy Wester) were captains of a relay for life team. Relay for life this year took place at bowditch field in framingham on saturday the 19th. On the couple weeks leading up to relay Tommy, Cory, and I had to do a lot of planning. We set up a google spreadsheet with chaperone hours, snacks, drinks, tents, etc. I sent an email out to the parents on our team as well as our team to try to get everybody involved and get a lot of help. Along with that we had to make sure everyone was signed up and raised $100, and Cory and I had to make shirts for the team. We had a team with 11 people and our original goal was $1,100, and we ended up raising $2,015! I raised $225 for the date of relay and raised an extra $50 after relay was over. All of the money we raised goes to the American Cancer Society, so we are benefiting cancer research. Relay for Life is a very good cause and I love helping fight cancer, this was my second year doing it and I plan to do it next year. Besides the large amounts of rain, relay went very well because we had planned well before and my team and I enjoyed it and had a great time.

Andrew Kennedy

The project that I chose as my lead is to a memorial day cookout for veterans. This project took place on May 28 (memorial day) at the Lincoln Town Hall Library. Throughout the process of my project I organized the amount of hamburgers and hotdogs as well as the condiments for the event. Additionally, set up tables and seatings for the veterans for them to eat their meal. I sometimes had to bring plates of food for veterans whom could not hold a plate of food by themselves. Along with the help of Danielle Movitz we were able to successfully have enough seating and more than enough food for the veterans. This project helped the veterans feel appreciated for the service they contributed to our country long ago. This event allowed for many veterans come together and help reunite them after many years of not seeing each other. It gave them a sense of community with being with people who have gone through similar experiences as them.

Danielle Movitz

For my lead, I helped plan and attended a barbeque held for veterans on Memorial day, May 28th in the Lincoln Town Hall Library. Andrew Kennedy and I planned the event and volunteered at the event. Before the barbeque, I helped plan the amount of food that was needed. At the barbeque, I helped set up and take down the tables and chairs, as well as serve the veterans their food. I helped plates and cut food for veterans that were unable to do so themselves. I also conversed with many veterans and learned a lot about their experiences, and left the event with a better understanding of what it is like to serve, as well as an even better appreciation for veterans. This had an impact on the veterans that attended because it made them feel appreciated and honored for their service on Memorial day.

Vanessa Barreto

For my lead project, Kailee Palmgren and I chose to bring Belle of the Ball to NHS. Belle of the Ball is an organization that collects used prom dresses and donates them to high school girls who can’t afford to buy one. Our goal was to collect at least 30 dresses. We wanted to help as many girls as we could! We wanted them to be able to not worry about money and to just enjoy the night. We asked our friends, family, and coworkers for used dresses, posted about it on social media, and made a blurb for the morning announcements at school. We also put bins in classrooms at NHS in order to collect the prom dresses. On March 31st, Kailee and I dropped the 46 prom dresses that we collected at Anton’s Cleaners. I hope the girls that received these dresses had a wonderful time at prom. It was a very rewarding experience for Kailee and I!

Hailey Murphy

Over the past few weeks, Alex Campana and I had been working on interviews for the new Girls Varsity Soccer Coach. As we had gone through this process in late April, over the last two weeks of May we have been meeting with Tim Collins and Mr. Harrigan to discuss our thoughts and ideas. he first week we had meetings to suggest what we wanted to see in out new coach, we conducted questions that we felt suitable to what Tim and the committee thought of the candidates, and ultimately showed our own opinions on who we thought would be best suited for the job. In addition to these meetings, we have also met with Mr. Harrigan to suggest new ideas for the soccer program next year specifically, but also in relation to other sports teams and how we can change the dynamics of outside factors on the players throughout the season. We hope that our ideas will really spark a change in the upcoming school year, and that players will be able to pursue the sports they love to play without the pressures of school and others on them. This has been a great experience for both Alex and myself, and has taught us a lot about taking leadership in these types of situations.

Joseph Shanno

For my lead I did TOPs soccer. This is an organization that allows kids with special needs to take part in soccer each week. There are around 15 athletes that are split into three groups and compete in three different stations. I am in charge of a couple tasks before and during each weekly session. Before the sessions the lead volunteers had meetings discussing the goal of the sessions and how to create a fun and enjoyable setting for the athletes. It is important to keep the players engaged while also teaching them some of the skills needed for soccer. During each week I go to the field early and set up some of the drills. I am most proud of the awesome obstacle course that I create and change from week to week. I also help set up soccer bowling and many goals. During the drills I teach them what to do and most importantly some of the skills they need to complete the course. At the end of each session there is a huge scrimmage among the player while the volunteers and parents sit along the sidelines cheering each athlete on. I am often one of the coaches for the team and try to hype of the team as much as I can before kickoff. Being a leader of TOPs soccer allows me to connect with kids I am not usually around and teaches me many life lessons.

Jay Sant

This past weekend I went to the Town Forest with a few of my friends to help clean up the walking trails. We were there for about 2 hours and were able to fill up 2 trash bags worth of cans and various litter. We managed to clean up all the litter we could find, and even though there is bound to be more trash the walking paths are cleared.

Michaela Albert

My lead project was helping to plan Faith Community Church's service trip to Houston, which will be taking place in July. I have been working on my project over the period of the last few months, in which I applied, I was selected, and I went to additional meetings. My main role was to play the voice of other students on the trip and help to make the trip more efficient. I know that the work that I and other fellow teammates on the leadership team have done, has benefited the teens who will be working in Houston this summer, which will also help the people of Houston. I worked with a small group of others at my church, including Joseph Rodman, Abbie Goth, and Ben Gerrard. Although I have not completed my role as leader, I know that our trip to Houston in July will be extremely impactful.

Thea Chronopoulos

For my lead project, I organized a collection of personal care items such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, etc. for Natick Service Council. I collected the items by reaching out to Natick families directly and through social media. I collected approximately 30 items in just 1 week and then I organized the items before dropping them off. Overall, this project was successful. One thing that could have been improved upon is better communication about the donation deadline because some people were still donating after the May 24th deadline, which meant I had to wait longer to drop the items off at the Natick Service Council.

Elizabeth Laurent

For my lead I managed on a video project with the William P. Lauder Foundation, formerly the SHOAH Foundation which promoted feminism and activism on a movement for gender equality. My role was to record the progress of the group, aid in the process of putting the project together, and make sure everyone was on task. Through the course of this project I was able to meet new people, grow as a leader, and expand my knowledge on a prevalent issue which is very important to me. There were some challenges in managing the group, primarily the fact that the majority of the group members are located in California so it was difficult to participate in meetings via video conference. However, the end result, the video was well worth the challenges and promoted women's crucial roles in society and how as a community, we can further gender equality. The group also produced T-shirts and sold them to raise money for the foundation and spread the message nationwide.

Shannon Foley

I was the team captain of my Relay for Life team, "Ensure A Cure!" I attended multiple meetings for team captains, learning how to lead my team. I also organized a fundraiser at Tilly and Salvy's in Natick, and as a team we raised money for the American Cancer Society. On the actual day of Relay, I managed my team as we walked the track of Framingham High School. Overall, this project was very successful and I'm glad that I could contribute to the community in a positive way!

Eva Williams

For my lead, I organized two activities for six children at Lovelane Special Needs Horse Back Riding Program. It was very successful and all the children had so much fun. During the activities I asked trivia questions about the horses at Lovelane. We worked on listening and answering questions. The children struggle with understanding directions and responding in an appropriate manner, we helped them through the questions. Then we did a scavenger hunt all around the barn. This helped them with listening to directions and remembering them throughout the activity. Over all, all the children had a fun time.

Alexandra Campana

For my lead project, Hailey Murphy and I conducted a variety of interviews for the new Girls Varsity soccer coach at Natick High School. We are both captains for this upcoming soccer season, so it was our responsibility to lead the interviews, formulate and ask our own questions to the candidates, and we narrow down our options to who we thought would be best suited for the job. We also met with Principal Harrigan to discuss our decisions about the new coach, talk about new uniforms for the team, and conduct new and efficient ideas for making the program stronger. This project was such a great experience because it gave me exposure to the job interviewing process, and allowed me to take a strong role in the Natick Soccer program. I strongly believe that my role in this process will have a positive effect on the whole girls soccer community this fall.

Claire Gaziano

For my lead project, I was a captain for my Relay for Life Team, I Pink I Can, and it went very well! My team and I fundraised a lot of money and walked the track during the event. We also really enjoyed the event and all the activities and games that took place during it. The weather definitely could have been better, as it was cold, rainy, and windy. Warmer weather would have improved the entire experience, but it was still a very good day. The American Cancer Society, cancer patients, and their caregivers benefitted from this project. The money raised for the event pays for rides for patients and caregivers to and from treatment and overnight stays at the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge. The money also funds research for cancer.

Marie Canty

Being able to be a coach for this softball team is something that I will never forget. I have grown so close to every girl on the team and want them all to succeed in the future. I have hopefully encouraged them to continue with softball as they grow older. When I do this again next year, I will make sure the girls have more enthusiasm and create opportunities for practices/games to be more entertaining. I've gained new perspective from this project that I am so thankful for and hope that these experiences have given me insight for the future.

Ashley Siaba

For my lead project, I ran the clothing area at A Place to Turn. First, we arranged the clothes that were donated and put them in the appropriate section of the clothing area. Clothes were separated and arranged by size and style. At around 4 o'clock on the last Wednesday of May, A Place to Turn opened and individuals were allowed to come in and choose what they needed. The mission at A Place to Turn is to provide emergency food and clothing to the neighbors in the Metrowest community, so my neighbors and I assisted individuals to find what they were looking for, and checked them out after they were done!

Carolyn Dye

I worked within my church for my lead project. After whole church services held four day throughout the week, I would lead a group of early-middle-school-aged children who attended the church. I would often watch children whose parents wanted to go to additional church services after the main service, and needed their kids to be watched. The parents were able to drop their children off to a classroom within the church and I would watch the children for an hour or two at a time. Typically, I would watch 7-10 kids at a time. I had to conduct engaging activities for the children such as singing church songs or having fun theme-oriented dress up days. At times, I felt a bit overwhelmed keeping a larger group of children engaged for the whole time I watched them, but I feel confident that I provided the kids with fun activities. Getting to know the children was a highlight of this lead project because many of them were very energetic and fun to be around. This experience was beneficial to me because it forced me to be creative, organized, and a good communicator all at once. Additionally, this project was very beneficial to many parents within the church who needed their children to be watched.

Abigail Goth

For my lead project, I have been helping plan a service trip hosted by Faith Community Church. The trip will be in Huston, Texas during the first week of July. Over the last few months, I have been working with the Student Leadership group, which I had to apply for. As a group, we organize the planning meetings, create trip guidelines, and assist the adult leaders during the trip. I attend the student leadership meetings along with whole group team meetings. At these whole group meetings, I am an assistant leader for my team; helping by getting my team involved and excited about the trip. Although I haven't been on the trip yet, I know my involvement will have an impact on the students on my team, and those were going to help. I'm looking forward to this summer and the impact we will make!

Eloise Baker

For my lead, I collected food for the Natick Food Pantry. I asked my church Youth Group to bring in donations for me to deliver to the Food Pantry. A problem was that not many people brought food in; most meant to but forgot. The project would have gone better if I had collected for a longer time so people would have more chances to donate. However, I still gathered some food which will benefit hungry people in Natick.

Nicole Massa

On Sunday June 3rd I went to Pet Co to raise money and collect supplies for Save A Dog, a nonprofit no-kill animal shelter in Sudbury Ma. I begun my project by contacting Save A Dog and asking what supplies they needed. I then made a small list and printed many copies to hand out to people. I then called PetCo to organize a date to fundraise. Save A Dog sent a volunteer to help me answer questions about the shelter and she brought a dog available for adoption. We were able to get $5 in donations, 17 bags of dog food and 80 lbs of cat litter. These will be given to people who do not have the money to supply for their pets and the food will also be given to the dogs in the shelter.

Abigail Gerdes

For my lead project I organized a fundraiser for Waypoint Adventure, an organization that empowers those with special needs by doing activities such as canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, and more. I hosted a 5.4k walk/run in my neighborhood because 5.4 million in the United States have special needs. I am thankful for the help I received from Positive Tracks, an organization that helps students to organize fundraisers and matches the amount of money that was raised up to $1,000. My job was to plan the whole event and recruit a few volunteers who helped the event to go smoothly. Overall it was a great experience, and I can't wait to volunteer for Waypoint Adventure this summer.

Kelsey Roy

As my lead project, I organized a small group of high school band students and we attended part of a Wilson Winds rehearsal after school. When we arrived we broke off into each section of instruments: at least one high schooler for each group of middle schoolers. For an hour we ran through music, helped with rhythms, and gave pointers on technique. It was a positive learning experience for all parties involved and it hopefully helped prepare the Wilson Winds for their upcoming concert. When I do this next year, the hope is to get even more high school band students participating and give them more time to prepare the music.

Benjamin Gerrard

For my leadership project, I participated in the Houston missions trip leadership group. This group was made to make plans for the upcoming trip where we would provide disaster relief for people in Houston, who were affected by Hurricane Harvey and can't repair their homes. These people consist of undocumented immigrants and elderly people who weren't able to fund construction themselves. In the group, we planned aspects of the trip like a 4th of July party for the neighborhood we are working in and the trip rules. Our group worked well as it was a way for students to contribute to the organization of the missions trip. This group will also involve work leading people while on the trip during construction projects.

Grace Hicks

For my lead project, I helped coach a 1st and 2nd grade lacrosse team. I attended practices and helped coach at 1 game on the weekend. At practices I came prepared with drills for the girls to do and helped prepare them for game situations. During games I was a source of encouragement by cheering the girls on from the sidelines. I also helped the coaches by subbing the girls clarifying rule they didn’t understand. I think the project went really well overall. I had a fun time coaching the girls and they were able to improve their skills drastically.

Irene Pantekidis

For my lead project, I was a co-captain of a Relay for Life Team. Beyond the actual day of the Relay, this project involved a variety of preparations. With my fellow captains, I went to the pre-relay meetings each month to gather important information about how to fundraise and how the event will work. Additionally, I gathered donations from my relatives and friends and ended up raising $200. On Saturday, May 19th, I participated in the Relay event all throughout the night. In addition to taking many laps around the track and honoring those who have been affected by cancer, my team decided to host an on-site bake sale fundraiser, as well as help run the Jail and Bail Event which Relay has each year. Our team of 17 members ended up raising $3,520 dollars! This project hopefully was one small step towards fighting the battle against cancer and helping those it affects, as all the money raised went towards the American Cancer Society who will put it towards research. Overall, I'd say the project was pretty successful!

Henry Cavanaugh

Overall, I had a great experience volunteering at the food pantry. Knowing the good that the food pantry does for the community and that it is run almost entirely on volunteers, I figured it would be a great cause to reach out to and try to help. The woman I got in contact with was very nice and offered a few potential dates that they could use volunteers, and we ended up deciding on the first weekend in June. I reached out to my friends and classmates, organized a group of five to help out at the pantry for that weekend, and collected paper products as well as salad dressing to donate to the pantry, both of which were requested by them. When we were there, we helped primarily by checking expiration dates and stocking shelves. I didn't get to see the pantry in motion, but knowing how it works and how many people benefit from it, it was great to be able to help, even if it might not have been in the most dramatic way.

Caroline DeHaven

I lead a book drive for More Than Words in Waltham, MA from May 23-31. I was able to collect about 2 full boxes of books from school. These books will be used by many teenagers and young adults in the Waltham and Boston area, not to read, but to sell. More than Words is a non-profit that empowers court-involved, foster-cared, homeless or out of school youths by helping them change their lives by taking charge of a business. My responsibilities included making posters, boxers, publicizing, and dropping books off. It went pretty well, but I think I would do it at more schools and libraries.

Lily Adelmann

Working with the Natick High preschoolers for the weeks leading up to Special Olympics was an engaging and uplifting experience. I helped train the preschoolers for Special Olympics by teaching them the rules of soccer, corn hole, bowling, and how to complete obstacle courses. In the beginning, it was challenging to set up the lessons and get the children to listen and follow directions. However, I learned that by implementing fun strategies, such as standing on your dot, helped make the preschoolers focus on the task at hand. When it came to Special Olympics, I saw that the kids benefited from my lessons since they incorporated the skills I taught into their games. The preschoolers also did a great job of waiting patiently and taking turns.

Jessica Campos

On May 16 at the Fisk Memorial United Church the String Ensemble–Cello? It’s a bass!–played in their Music and Movement program. We were able to play for the kids there from 11:30 to 12:30pm and set up at around 10:45 am. The entire string ensemble was not able to make it but the majority of us did go and got to play for the kids there. We also told the kids a little about our instruments and why we chose our instruments. The kids had a lot of fun and were all really interested in what we were doing and that is the best outcome that we could have gotten because whenever we perform for children or for the public it is to bring more attention to string instruments so that they have more options in the future and could get interested in playing music. After we performed for Music and Movement I was followed up by our site liaison, Deborah Hernandez. She told us that the kids we performed for loved seeing and hearing us and called us “real music players”. One of my favorite comments was when she said one of the kids who saw us named Gabriel asked if the violins got bigger and became a bass if water was added to them like the sponge animals. I forwarded this email to those who came to perform and these remarks made us all very happy. I am so proud of everyone who came and everyone who tried to come, I am completely confident that we made an impact seeing as how a little boy could remember the names of the instruments. This entire experience was so much fun, not just for the ensemble but for the children as well and because of this I couldn’t be happier about the outcome.

Xander Mury

I really enjoyed leading a team for the NECC 5K for my sister, Eliza’s residential students. It went great, recruiting some people to be on my team. Our team was able to raise over $200 dollars towards New England Center for Children’s overall goal they made of $200,000 dollars. It made me feel great to be part of that as the funds go towards enrichment programs I know directly help my sister and so many kids with autism. I could have worked on recruiting more team members and getting the word out more. I could have planned earlier. It was nice the day of the event to hang out with my sister and many kids from her school. If I had more team members, I could have helped other people have an experience to hang out with kids with autism at the after-event picnic. This event directly helps all the kids at NECC. The money goes to their “annual fund” that helps with things like teacher training and development, special IT equipment, special playground and physical education equipment, and student activities and field trips.

Joshua Cotter

For my lead project, I raised money for my church's CYO basketball team. I went to Dunkin Donuts and asked people if they would like to donate. I decided to do this because I played CYO basketball when I was younger, so I reached out to the coach, and he was on board with the idea. A lot of people didn't have any money on them at the time, which was upsetting, but I still got a lot of money. The money can be used to buy new jerseys, which is helpful, because the jerseys are old and worn out. I think that I might want to do it again next year, because I enjoyed it, and it helps out the basketball team.

Ashley Bianco

I volunteered at the Danforth Art Museum over February vacation as the only assistant for 6 classes from 8am-5pm. I love volunteering here, not only does it make staff’s life easier, it makes the kids so much happier to have someone to talk to. Nothing makes a kid more happy when they are a returner and you remember their name or when there is someone isolated and I have a drawing contest with them. My job included drop off/pick duty, supervising the children when they are in between classes, assisting teachers and kids, and cleaning. It was a lot of work being the only one there, but seeing how grateful the director, and how happy the kids were made it totally worth it. I will be volunteering there in the future and happy to do it.

Maeve Sheehy

For my lead project, I coordinated a team to fundraise and walk Eversource’s Walk for Every Child, a six-mile trek around the Charles River to support Boston Children’s Hospital. Our fundraising goal was $200. To reach this goal, Caitlin Hannon, Zach Lynch and I stood outside of Stop and Shop one Friday afternoon collecting donations which totaled in $121. We used the power of social media to reach out to the broader Natick community who responded in kind and helped us surpass our goal. This project meant a lot to me as I know first hand how life changing the care at Children’s Hospital is. I am a long time patient there, and earlier this school year when Natick held their first annual Dance-a-thon to support Boston Children’s I got to see just how many people in the Natick community have also been impacted by the care there. I’m glad we got to do a small part to help those who have helped so many. This project was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Shayan Abtahi

For my lead project I lead an arts and crafts center in the special olympics. More specifically, I made paper hats for the participants and provided them with a variety of arts and crafts materials to color them. This project took me a bit of prior preparation including, buying the right sized paper and string and gathering the arts and crafts materials. It was a great experience working with the participants and seeing them customize something unique them which they could wear. As other kids saw the hats, they too also wanted one, which was neat in the sense that it spread so fast. Overall, this lead project was a great experience for me from the preparation to actually doing it. I am now definitely considering doing it again next year.

Anders Carlson

For My Co-Lead Project, I worked with Maddie Gaudet and Emilly Borges in order to raise money fo Rise Against Hunger, A world relief charity. We decided the best way to do this was to organize a concert. In order to do this we met with Administration, Held auditions, and supervised the proceedings of the concert. The concert was held on May 5th from 6-8 pm in the NHS auditorium. We reached our fundraising goal of $1000 through ticket sales, Concessions, and free will donations. The support of our Parent/Teacher volunteers, Student assistance, and our performers made our project a complete success.

Bianca Harper

I, Bianca Harper, volunteered at Stray Pets In Need on June 7th 2018 by painting a wall. In order to do this I had to organize people to do it with me, what we were going to paint, when we were going to paint, and when to get the paint. In doing this we helped an animal shelter save money from painting so that they can use it to help more animals. I recruited Nikita Harper, Jenny Campos, and co-leaded with Jessica Campos. I was fun painting, and I was happy to give back to the community.

Joseph Maichen

During this spring, I joined a group of a few other core volunteers to lead the TOPSoccer program. We worked very hard to help create new and exciting drills for athletes as well as organize the weekly sessions. We also serve as role models for the young athletes that participate with a wide range of disabilities. Specifically, my role in the group of core volunteers is to help design new drills as well as be an energetic presence to lead the sessions. This season was very successful and functioned very smoothly. It is an amazing experience for me to be apart of this program and to see the amazing growth we experience from year to year. My overall, most enjoyable aspect of being apart of TOPSoccer is seeing the consistent smile we are able to put on the athletes faces.

Jillian Pacheco

For my lead project, I volunteered with two students through the Autism Alliance. I worked with these students on Saturdays and Sundays starting in the weekend of May 26th, working at their house in Framingham. I would help the students with activities such as completing their homework for school and playing games that helped improve their cognitive and social skills. Overall this project went very well as the two students were always very excited to work with me every weekend. In the future I hope to have the opportunity to continue volunteering and working with these students through the Autism Alliance.

Alexeya O'Brien

For my lead project, I worked with Golden Heroes to create and distribute care packages to kids at Boston Children's Hospital. Golden Heroes was started by two teenage girls who live outside of New York and it was really cool to see their mission expand to Boston. The care packages contained blankets, hats, coloring books, toys and a little note to the kids from Golden Heroes. We were not able to see the reaction of the kids first hand, but the organizers were really grateful that their project was spread to Boston and kids in the Boston area were able to receive Golden Heroes care packages.

Stephanie Chamberlain

For my National Honors Society Lead, I worked with a nonprofit called Golden Heroes. Golden Heroes is an organization that raises money to create and donate care packages to children’s Oncology units at various hospitals around the East Coast. For my project, co-lead with Alexeya O’Brien, we raised $250.00 for the cause. Based on the money we raised, the organization sent us various toys, blankets, socks, and other goods to put together 24 care packages for young children and teens. Alexeya and I got together a small group of friends to put together packages, and then together we drove into Boston Children’s Hospital for delivery. The project overall went great. At the hospital, Child Life (their child support services) were happy to see us and thankful for the donation. I feel happy that I was able to make a small difference, whether it be brightening up a child’s day or donating something that a child may have needed to get through a hard time. I will definitely consider doing something similar to this in the future!

Sophie Sternick

For my lead, I organizes a supplies drive Stray Pets in Need. SPIN is an organization that helps stray pets get adopted and find foster homes for them. I collected several bags of supplies including bleach, towels, and blankets over the course of a week. Overall, this project was successful and will help the organization to continue to help pets find caring homes.