In 2006, The College of William & Mary introduced students to the idea of spending their spring breaks not in Cabo or Miami, but completing service projects that enriched their souls.
Since then, alternative spring break service trips have become not only a tradition, but a connection to previous spring break do-gooders. William & Mary alumni are now helping the college plan and host the trips, inviting students to connect with recent grads who are now in the working world.
Three alumni – Meghan Dunne, Nik Belanger and Katherine Eklund – are serving as community partners for this year’s Branch Out alternative break trips, which took place this week. Approximately 100 students are participating in nine trips, located from South Carolina to Philadelphia.
Dunne, a kindergarten teacher at Anne Beers Elementary School in Washington, D.C., partnered with the college to plan a trip called, “Bridging the Achievement Gap: Early Childhood Education in Urban Public Schools.”
(Courtesy photo)
Participating students spent this week working with elementary school children, hosting a literacy night, visiting a charter school and learning about education inequality. This year marked the third time Dunne, class of 2009, and her school has hosted William & Mary students to help out.
In Danville, 2010 grad Belanger worked with students on a trip titled “GO: Grassroots Organizing to Fight Injustice.” Belanger works as a Southside community organizer for Virginia Organizing. Students met with community leaders and knocked on doors to gather input and support for causes that impact community members. This was the second year the trip was offered.
Katherine Eklund, class of 2011, is working with students on a new trip to Washington, D.C. called “Serving Social Justice: Exploring the Intersections of Hunger, Homelessness and Former Incarceration in Washington, D.C.” Students helped the nonprofit D.C. Central Kitchen with its daily meal preparation and street outreach.
Melody Porter, associate director of the college’s Office of Community Engagement, told W&M News that having alumni involved fits into the vision that “students will prioritize working within and understanding community in a lifelong pursuit of social justice.”
The alumni, she said, “are people who have figured out how to be part of their communities and to work for social justice there.”
The alums credited their service experiences as undergrads with leading them to their current careers. “It was through looking at my day-to-day experiences that I realized what I actually found meaning in was my interaction with the community and actually working on the ground level with this issue,” Dunne said.
HRA Violinist Named All-Virginia Concertmaster
Hampton Roads Academy violinist Benjamin Motter, a sophomore, was named concertmaster of the 2013 All-Virginia Orchestra on Feb. 23 at James Madison University.
Motter, also an accomplished pianist, serves as the concertmaster of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra. He first successfully auditioned for the Senior Regional Orchestra in fall 2013, then moved on to the state audition, where he competed against the state’s top youth violinists.
The All-Virginia Band & Orchestra Event, taking place April 4-6 at Harrisonburg High School, culminates in a concert performance featuring the All-Virginia Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Orchestra.
Walsingham Hosts Dr. Seuss Birthday Bash
Walsingham Academy marked revered author Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 1 with a free, community-wide birthday bash.
Seuss’s birthday is celebrated nationwide as Read Across America Day, which invites community members to share their love of reading with schoolchildren. More than 530 children, all dressed in pajamas, gathered with their parents in Walsingham Lower School to hear guest readers from across the region share Dr. Suess’s tales.
The celebration included birthday cake, treats and photo ops with The Cat in the Hat. Walsingham students provided entertainment, including juggling by ninth-grader Steven Wigley and magic tricks from sixth-grader Michael Ostrowski.
At 16, Pritchard Joins VT College of Engineering
Last summer, I wrote about Noah Pritchard, the 15-year-old salutatorian of Warhill High School’s class of 2012.
Noah, now 16, told me he aimed to study mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. After making Dean’s List at the college, he has now been accepted into the College of Engineering. Congratulations to Noah!
