FM's student service day gets high marks

GOOD GRADE

Admin had planned on moving around and dealing with any students that weren’t participating or cooperating and we had none of that. I don’t think I could be more happy with the way this turned out.”

Patrick Lamb, FMHS Principal

FORT MADISON - Fort Madison School District’s first annual Community Service Day brought together over 750 students, staff, and community partners in a demonstration of civic responsibility and pride.
From engaging with elementary students to community stewardship, students participated in a wide range of activities that benefited both community and their own learning experiences, while satisfying true volunteer hours required for graduation.
Projects ranged from environmental awareness to historic preservation and community beautification efforts. Some students spent the day interacting with elementary students in a mentor program. Others coordinated efforts around animal welfare and senior engagement.
“The first annual Community Service Day was a remarkable success, bringing together students, staff, and community partners in a demonstration of civic responsibility and community pride,” said FMHS Principal Patrick Lamb.
“Over 750 students participated in a wide range of meaningful service activities, from assisting at local nursing homes and animal shelters to beautifying parks, cleaning public spaces, and supporting historical preservation efforts. These experiences not only enriched our community, but also provided students with invaluable lessons in empathy, teamwork, and the importance of giving back.”
Lamb said he hoped that modeling civic responsibility through service would give students a better understanding of the role community plays in caring for its own.
“By contributing their time and effort, we hope that over time, students gain a greater appreciation for the impact they can have, inspiring lifelong habits of community involvement and respect for others,” Lamb said.
One hundred fifty-three students and their instructors participated in fall parties, read to elementary students, attended assemblies, played games, and joined recess with staff.
One of the efforts that stuck out, aside from the initial impact of the work across the community, was the amount of driftwood a group of students pulled up from the riverbank along the Mississippi River.
“I really did not expect that collecting driftwood along the river was going to take as long as it did. I think that we could put 200 students at Riverview and they probably still wouldn't get all that driftwood out of there,” he laughed.
He also pointed to the students who worked with the elementary students and who came back to the school asking if they could work with the same group of students on the next Community Service Day.
Lamb said he hasn’t had a chance to debrief the program with staff and the community but said he's looking forward to it and how to improve on what was a very successful program out of the gate.
“Admin had planned on moving around and dealing with any students that weren’t participating or cooperating and we had none of that,” he said.
“I don’t think I could be more happy with the way this turned out.”
Lamb said he had anticipated absenteeism to be up that day with everyone out away from the school, but he said the 6% figure he has is actually less than a regular school day.
“We only had 57 students in total gone that day, and that number is pretty average and might actually be a little lower than regular school days,” he said.
He said plans will start a little earlier for the spring event and he hopes to engage even more community partners with some advanced information and scheduling for the day.
City manager Laura Liegois said at Monday night's City Council meeting that the event was beneficial to the city and very well coordinated.