February eLetter

Computer Camp at Unionville Elementary

District Participates in Second Annual MLK Day of Service

On Monday January 19th, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and numerous community members honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day by serving the community in a variety of ways. Unionville High School students served the community by participating in one of three activities organized by the administrative team. For the first two activities, student volunteers traveled to local organizations such as the Kennett Senior Center and Kennett Friends Home, to offer basic “handyman services” while the third group of High School volunteers traveled to Anson B Nixon Park in Kennett Square to offer their services to help “clean up” the park from trash and debris.

The fun filled “service day” did not stop there with three other activities taking place throughout the surrounding Unionville-Chadds Ford School District community for many others to participate. At Chadds Ford Elementary, School Principal, Mark Ransford helped organize the Arts and Crafts for Kids activity assisted by the help of many other district volunteers. This activity was for volunteers of all ages to make “Gifts of Art” for donation to children placed at local hospitals.

Meanwhile, Hillendale Elementary organized a Soup Kitchen encouraging volunteers of all ages to gather, prepare and package “Souper Meals” for local residents and organizations. Hillendale Elementary Principal, Steve Dissinger was instrumental in organizing and running this event.

Finally, at Unionville Elementary, members of the UCFSD staff joined with middle school and high school students to provide individualized computer instruction on “basic” computer topics to community members in need of some guidance. Unionville Elementary Principal, Clif Beaver was a vital part of this project as he not only helped to organize the event in his building but he also managed all the day's activities district wide with the help of each participating  building principal.

The Second annual MLK Day of Service was marked as another successful event for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and the surrounding community as more than 400 volunteers turned out to help show their support and serve their community. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will participate in this event annually. Sharon Parker, Superintendent of Schools, commented "We first seized this opportunity in the previous school year as a time to get others involved in their community, and to serve with people of all ages and backgrounds. Once we developed the agenda and received widespread support, it was obvious that we needed to continue to embrace this opportunity annually. As educators, one of the best ways for us to teach young people is to lead by example. Students learn about Dr. King's legacy through the curriculum, however, what better way to learn the true meaning of the power of service than to get involved?"