“It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Wednesday, October 15 was a morning dedicated to giving back to our community and lending a helping hand. As the senior community service event took place in Balboa Park and around the Sepulveda Basin, seniors of Birmingham Community Charter High School were encouraged to participate in picking up trash to earn community service hours.  The requirement for senior community service hours is 10 hours and each student would be given 3 if they came to help out.

SLC lead teachers and co-teachers led their students to their individual areas divided by smaller learning communities. Each patriot was given a garbage bag and a pair of plastic gloves. As all the seniors set off in pairs or groups, it was amazing to see how such a simple task was done with ease and care.

Participating in the clean up myself, I learned from my experience that day, that yes, it’s possible to make a difference on your own. The truth is, you don’t have to be a celebrity to change the world. It just needs to be something you do with the intention of ‘doing good’.

As all the students had set out to pick up trash, CAL teachers Ms. Rubinger, Ms. Pedrani, Mrs. Wydra, and  Mr. Kusaka had a sweet surprise for all of the CAL seniors. In reward for their hard work, these wonderful teachers had prepared a delicious breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes! So that was a wonderful treat in itself.

We all know that teenagers favor sleeping in, playing video games, or going out with friends but these students stood out from the rest. Cleaning up the park and doing community service not only helps create a cleaner and safer environment for all but it definitely teaches students what they should be doing even for their own benefit. Giving back to the community teaches you a lot about yourself and what you could possibly consider doing in the future as well.