Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

Celebrating Service
O’Maley Innovation Middle School 2nd Annual Day of Service
Friday, October 25, 2013

In their own words…
Student reflections on Day of Service:

“It felt so good seeing everyone helping each other out, and seeing everyone participating and having fun- while cleaning! When we came back, we watched The Giving Tree. That got me thinking how awesome it is to help other people out without them asking. I had a lot of fun getting to go outside with my friends and help the school out.”
Pharah Donlan, gr 6

“I helped organize the school store. I folded the clothes, I brought all the emergency bags into all the classes and grades. I felt good about myself, just like the boy in the Giving Tree.”
Samantha Sullivan, gr 6

“Just like in the Giving Tree, we asked and received (rakes!), and then we gave- to help clean the outside. It was very cold – to keep warm, we huddled in a group hug when we had filled 4 large trash bags.”
Sam Ciolino, gr 6

“Today, we cleaned up our school, the Ralph B. O’Maley Middle School. We did not do it for recognition or publicity, we did it because it made us feel good. We did it because it made our hearts feel good. You know that feeling when you do something for the community or even another person without someone even asking you, that’s why we did it.
Drew Bouchie, gr 6

“At O’Maley, we have a school acronym, S.A.I.L.S., which stands for service, acceptance, integrity, leadership and success. I definitely think our school did all that today. And we also made a memory that I believe we will have throughout this year.”
Asha Egmont, gr 6

“We eventually all joined together to pick up pinecones, trash, etc. up on the hill. I think we all did a great job together, and I hope we do it again.”
Silas Emerson, gr 6

“The connection I made between the Giving Tree and our service project was that just like the tree, the Earth has given us EVERYTHING we need. Now, like the boy, we need to give back, like picking up trash and depolluting.”
Justin Bushfield, gr 6

“I felt like I understood the story because it was cold and I was tired but I still helped. It was very hard work, just as when the tree was giving away things for the boy. But overall, it does pay off.”
Issac Aiello, gr 6

“My class helped today by picking up trash and raking leaves. And in the story, the tree helped by giving the boy not exactly what he wanted, but what he needs. So, both in the story and in real life, there was help included.”
Thiago Ferreira, gr 6

“In the Giving Tree”, the boy took and never gave back. I try to give back to the environment, because I take a lot from it. O’Maley S.A.I.L.S. program is about helping others and making good choices. To make life better for everyone, we should take care of the environment and stick to S.A.I.L.S.
Sophia Hogan-Lopez, gr 6

“Today, the whole O’Maley School went to help clean the city of Gloucester. The 6th grade stayed at the school and cleaned there. The 7th graders went to elderly peoples’ homes to help them out, and the 8th grade went all over the place. And we all had so much fun.”
Briana Bruni, gr 7

“To be honest, I really didn’t want to come out today, but after I was done, I felt really good. Maya Angelou’s advice is very true- we can’t just take or receive, we also need to give back. Today, we had a chance to do this.”
Aiden Cunha, gr 7

“Today I put my time into my community. And now I’m thinking back on my service. Looking back on it, I felt really good. Even though I didn’t get a physical reward, I got a really good feeling in my heart. Maya Angelou’s words mean that you can’t just keep on taking and taking. You have to give back- which we did today.”
Rodney Nyborg, gr 7

“I am really proud of myself and my classmates. It’s like the quote, because the community helps us, so we need to find ways to give back. J S.A.I.L.S.”
Ruby Melvin, gr 7

“I was extremely cold and my gloves were ripped. I was cold, but it felt really good. What I did felt great. Today, I took off the other catcher’s mitt and threw back.”
Noah Schott, gr 7

“I have been in my car and seen elderly people raking leaves, pulling up roots in the cold. So I felt that what I did today helped somebody that was not capable of doing what we did for them.”
Joseph Reimersma, gr 7

“As I sit here writing this with my frozen hands, I realize I feel good about the service I did today. I raked the yard of a nice man on Blueberry Lane. It was cold out. I was in charge of holding open the trash bags. I ripped my purple latex gloves and fell into a bush. But in the end, it was all worth it. I did some service that followed Maya Angelou’s advice: “I’ve learned that you can’t go through live with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.”
Johanna Couture, gr 7

“I was at the Sargent Murray Gilman House today. We picked up leaves and put them in a compost bin. When Huey Lewis says “Some people take and never give”, we did give today. We gave back to the community today by cleaning up a public place that people like to go to. It felt good to give back today.”
Jack Tallgrass, gr 8

“Today I went to the Cape Ann Museum. I helped rake the leaves in the courtyard and clean up around the museum. As I was doing this, I felt proud because our school can make a difference, by helping other people and other community locations. Huey Lewis’ lyrics say that “if we all give a little it could mean a lot”. Today we helped out a little and it meant a lot.”
Mikaela Carpenter, gr 8

“So today, what our school did was service. It was very cold, but my class and I got through it and kept on working. We gave back or said “thank you”- in return for something good that the world did for us. We went out of our way to help clean other people’s yards, and we survived!
Vanessa Rodolosi, gr 8

“Huey Lewis’ lyrics have a lot to do with what we did today. As stated in the song, “We can fight one another/like they do on t.v./or we can/help one another/the way it’s supposed to be.” If we had fought over who did what, then we would have gotten few leaves raked up at the Unitarian Church. By working together, we left the church with far less to do than there was before we came. This felt great. In our world, if we worked more to help the needy, it would make a better place.”
Matthew Smith, gr 8

“Today we raked Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill’s yard. I saw how grateful Mrs. O’Neill was, and I thought to myself that if something as simple as raking could make someone so happy, that if everyone just pitched in, it could make our ‘small world’ a better place.”
Haley Johnson, gr 8

“In the song lyrics of Huey Lewis, he explains how doing something no matter how small can mean a great amount to someone. This is a small world if we help each other. Today, my class went to a home near Manchester. Although today wasn’t the warmest, everyone’s spirits became brighter once we got there. Suddenly we had a lot of energy which we used to help someone in our community and make a difference. We learned to do something out of our own free will and not for something in return. This greatly made me happy.”
Soo Ae Ono, gr 8

“If every class or school in the world did this, then it would really make a difference, because like Huey Lewis says, it’s a small world and we can make a change.”
Ethan Brennan, gr 8

“I think my generation should do more things like this and just notice how it could make life so much better and happier in our ‘small world’”.
Mollie-Mae McGillivary, gr 8

“Today we went to Mrs. Lally’s yard in West Gloucester. She was a former teacher at O’Maley, so she gave a lot to the kids and the community. So it felt great to help her out and give back to her. This service is a very important part of life and everyone should help each other out once in a while, because it feels great and could really make someone’s day.”
Harley Perreira, gr 8

“In the last stanza of Huey Lewis’ lyrics for “Small World”, it is indicating that doing something small for someone means a lot to them because you took the time out of your own day to do it. Something so little can make someone else so happy.”
Brittany Turner, gr 8

“We raked and pulled weeds and fixed her garden. We gave a little from ourselves, and I hope it means a lot.”
Alexis Thompson, gr 8

“When Huey Lewis is saying that “when we give a little, it could really mean a lot”, he is saying that even the little things we do can mean a lot to other people. When I was cleaning, it felt good that I was making someone happy by clearing their yard for them. Because maybe they couldn’t. Giving back to people and to your community is very important in today’s society.”
C.J. Renales, gr 8