The Buzz

High school can be an immensely different experience for every individual.  One common experience for all juniors at North Reading High School is the obligation of obtaining all the necessary volunteer hours.  The way they do this, however, is entirely up to them.  Students can take advantage of the ample opportunities and various places and organizations in which students can help out in exchange for hours.

Four high school juniors resolved to fulfill this volunteer requirement in a unique way.  They traveled outside their comfort zones and their town to volunteer at Perkins School for the Blind.  While the school offers regularly updating information about local volunteering, these students were interested in what other volunteer opportunities were out there and what ways they could give back to the larger Massachusetts community that they are a part of.

Perkins School for the Blind is a school for children and young adults with multiple disabilities with a focus on skills that can aid independence after graduation.  The NRHS students helped out in the campus walk/move event at the school as well as staying after to organize the student center basement.  

Of this experience, Cybele Miller, one of the juniors who volunteered at this event, stated, “I thought it was really interesting when we got to hang out with the volunteer coordinator, Lisa, because she just kinda showed us around to different things we could do to help out and I thought that was cool”.  Cybele went on to describe the various things she did during the five hours she spent volunteering, including directing volunteers and attendees as well as assisting with the organization of the student center storage space.  When asked if she would volunteer again at Perkins, she explained, “Lisa was just such a wonderful, kind person and I would have such a fun time because I did last time”.

Matthew Lupulio, the student center manager and employee at Perkins for seven years was interviewed about the school.  He described his time there by saying, “There’s literally no such thing as a normal day” and that, “working here, it’s not just a job.”  Lupulio runs activities in the student center for the students that live on campus full time.  Today he was cleaning up an arts and crafts activity in which the students made a paper mache tree.  “Everything I do has a lot of texture,” Lupulio explained, “so, trying to incorporate touch into everything I do is really important.”   He also went on to describe the other ways in which students use the center, highlighting the school’s radio classes where students can build their communication skills through a radio show that is distributed all over the world.  Lupulio also talked about all the clubs that run out of the student center including even a Dungeons and Dragons club that allow students to develop their own communities and build lasting relationships.  When asked about his favorite part about working at Perkins, without hesitation Lupulio talked about the students he works with, “Even if you’re having a bad day, they’re smiling and having the time of their lives…The kids always make everything better”.  Lupulio ended the interview by simply stating, “It’s not just a job here” which really encapsulates the environment of Perkins and also describes with the volunteer opportunities that the school offers, being not just about completing a requirement but working for such a outstanding organization and helping them reach their goals of education and research, which, as a high school student can be very fulfilling.

Volunteering can take on various forms but many students seem to be of the opinion that volunteer hours spent outside of North Reading could be a very impactful way for students to give back to the larger communities that they are a part of.  Cybele said, “I love to go to different places and I think it will be even more interesting the further away I go”.  Even though the convenience of in town volunteer opportunities appeals to many students at North Reading High School, there is much to be said about the unique experiences that can be gained through volunteering at places like Perkins, where the work you do can truly benefit something bigger than yourself.  For students curious to learn more about volunteer opportunities in addition to the school advertised ones, VolunteerMatch.org is a great resource.