Students and faculty of The Grauer School, an independent school in Encinitas, recently gave nearly 900 hours of service with multiple community projects across San Diego County to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
On campus, students prepared lasagnas in the school kitchen for Lasagna Love, crafted blankets for children in foster care, made meal prep kits for families in need at Feeding San Diego, as well as cleaned and created new trails in the school’s nature corridor. A large group of about 30 students went to Coastal Roots Farm and performed light construction, weeding and mulching for the farm. Students also participated in other off-campus service activities with various organizations, according to a news release.
Students from The Grauer School presented lessons about MLK Jr. to preschoolers at Temple Solel as part of their school-wide Day of Service.
(Courtesy of The Grauer School)
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught that meaningful service requires a ‘heart full of grace, a soul generated by love’ and that serving others is the path to true fulfillment and making the world better,” said Dana Abplanalp-Diggs, M.Ed., head of school for The Grauer School, in the news release. “At The Grauer School, we encourage our students to use their voices to create the world that they want to live in, and what better exercise than to give them the opportunity to use their talents to make a positive contribution to their community.”
In addition to supporting Coastal Roots Farm, students organized clothing donations for Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO), presented lessons and playtime with preschoolers and made sandwiches for the unhoused at Temple Solel, made challah bread with the Jewish Family Services, tested, sorted, cleaned and bagged peripherals for Computers2Kids, did arts and crafts with senior citizens at Summerfield Memory Care, processed, sorted, folded and organized donations as well as packed hygiene kits for Sharia’s Closet, assisted with the animals at Rancho Coastal Humane Society, hosted a pajama party for elementary students at Casa de Amistad, performed and taught ukulele as well as presented and played theater games with elementary students, the news release stated.
“This was our first annual MLK Day of service, and we were incredibly excited that all Grauer students and faculty spent the day engaged in meaningful, hands-on work honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy,” said Abplanalp-Diggs in the news release. “Our students participated in off-campus projects, either for a full day or a portion of the day. In addition, some students rotated through on-campus activity stations, allowing us to offer a wide range of experiences while meeting community needs. This was a meaningful day of learning, giving back and community connection.”
Students from The Grauer School performed and taught music to elementary students as part of their school-wide Day of Service.
(Courtesy of The Grauer School)
The national “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service” was started by the late former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and the late Atlanta Congressman John Lewis who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. This federal legislation, signed into law in 1994, challenges Americans to transform the federal King holiday into a day of citizen action and volunteer service in honor of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the news release reported.
Prospective students and families can learn more about The Grauer School during a Discover Grauer Tour, which will be from 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3. To RSVP for an upcoming Discover Grauer Tour visit www.grauerschool.com.