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JCEC students learn value of service

2019-01-21
Five students load large donation-filled bags into a van.
Jackson County Early College students are shown here last fall loading a van with donations they collected for Hurricane Florence victims in the eastern part of the state. From left: Jurney Egerdahl, Isaac Quillen (back), Lillie Hodges, Patrick Cardona and Tristin Goode.

At Jackson County Early College, ‘service’ is more than a word in the school logo.

It’s a call to action.

At least once every month, JCEC students depart from their home base at Southwestern Community College and deploy to a variety of service locations ranging from trash pick-up at local parks to working on arts and crafts with local nursing home residents.

“Service is one of our core values, and we want our students to understand why,” said Melanie Jacobs, JCEC Principal. “We set aside several Fridays each semester as service learning dates, and our students have really bought in. These young people are truly a credit to their generation; they make us all proud.”

Through the first four months of this academic year, students have already provided more than 900 hours of community service collectively.

The school has adopted a stretch of US-441 and regularly sends a group to help out at MANNA FoodBank in Asheville.

They also read to nursing home residents, hang out and play with kids at the Sylva First Baptist Church’s preschool, pick up trash at Bridge and Mark Watson parks and help out with Jackson County Green Energy Park’s preparations for the Youth Arts Festival.

After Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas’ coast last fall, JCEC students mobilized to collect items such as clothing, bedding and nonperishable food items. Math Instructor Dale Galloway then gave up a weekend of his own time and took a van-full of donations to the eastern side of the state.

“I am always proud of our students, and their efforts this year to focus on community service have been a pleasure to witness,” Galloway said. “I think it is very important for them to continue to learn the lesson that we are never alone in this world, and helping others who are in need is part of our humanity.

The school’s emphasis on service resonates with students like KJ Ammons.

Currently a junior, Ammons spearheaded a food drive last year for SCC’s Campus Cupboard – a free food pantry that combats hunger and allows students anonymous access to nutritious food options throughout the college’s regular operating hours.

“There is no greater reward than helping those in need,” Ammons said. “Service learning projects are powerful for both the community and the student.”

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