RCA students take time to serve in the community
Students from Rhea County Academy recently spent the day giving back to the community. Each year the school sponsors 2 Community Service Days when students have the opportunity to become better informed about the organizations in the community that help others. Rather than just hearing about the organizations, the students became actively involved in providing service at those organizations’ locations.
Students in grades K4 through two visited with residents at Spring City Life Care Center. The children sang, read books and shared cookies and hugs with their new found friends.
Cumberland Springs Bible Camp was the point of service for students in grades 3 and 4, many of whom have enjoyed camping activities at that site. Raking leaves and cleaning cabins were their primary tasks for the day.
Students in grades 5 and 6 worked with Laura Olmstead at the We Care Food Pantry. “They helped us make food boxes and food bags, stock shelves, sweep and load boxes for recycle. They were so polite, helpful and hard workers,” said Olmstead. In addition to doing physical work, students learned about the services of We Care.
The assignment for 7th and 8th graders was cleaning at Fort Bluff, site of home games for Rhea County Academy’s soccer, basketball and volleyball teams. While working there, students learned that as the home of the National Association of Christian Athletes, Fort Bluff welcomes several thousand people to its campus annually.
A new site for RCA Service Day was the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park at Blythes Ferry. Students in grades 9 through 12 raked leaves, pruned shrubbery, and planted fall flowers there. High school teacher, Carrie Thompson expressed the value of the day from both an educational and personal development perspective, “Students became aware of the intense suffering of the Native Americans and the purpose behind the park and wanted to give back by doing landscaping and cleaning. RCA includes Community Service Day each semester because volunteerism is an essential character trait we are trying to cultivate in our students.”