Last week, Community Action and Service hosted the second annual Service Fair. This is the start of creating a positive community that does more to help the greater area. However, just milling about and putting a person’s name down is not enough for students and simply providing the day is not enough for the school to fully accomplish our imperative for service.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School should not have to force students to participate in service, but it is good that the school and Community Action provides the tools for students to reach out on their own, yet that cannot be all that the school and students do. It is on the students to use these emails and phone numbers to create long term connections to the greater community.

Service is now in the student’s hands. Students need to take these opportunities that Community Action give to the student body and serve with those organizations, but also reach out to new organizations to find something that truly connects.

Community Action could help facilitate this expansion by also providing other opportunities for students to actually serve during school hours. This next step would be a launching point to breeding a community that does not simply do service, but is based on service.

The Service Fair is a good start. But that is all that it is. Students need to take these opportunities and actually go out and serve. And the school and clubs should take another step and provide opportunities to actually serve.