Seward High’s Annual “The Blue Jay Way - Community Service Day” is a Success

October 25, 2021

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The annual Seward High “Blue Jay Way-Community Service Day” was held on Sunday, October 24, 2021 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at various locations in the Greater Seward Area community.  Letters were sent to a host of possible community service locations, inquiring as to the possibility of Seward High Students joining forces with the various non-profits to work on projects for community service hours for the students.  Locations involved in the Sunday event included the Seward Civic Center, the Seward County Fair Grounds and Buildings, the Nebraska National Guard Museum, the United Methodist Church, and the Seward County Museum.  The Olde Glory Theater, Faith Lutheran and Liberty House all canceled, as they only had outside projects and the rain canceled their plans.  The students each found their own transportation to the local, Seward sites and a van was offered to drive students to the Goehner site.

Supervisors included: the Seward County Historical Society Museum-Teachers Lynnette Petersen and Kurt Holliday, Sue Imig, Jon Kruse, Alan Boon, Larry Ray, Jim Everts, Holly Matzke, Jan Perry, Keith Graff, and Kelsey Petersen,  at the Seward National Guard Museum-Teachers Nathan Buss, Mark Buss and Jan Buss, at the Seward County Fair Grounds-Teacher Jordan Hinrichs, Faith Winkelmann and Tim Winkelmann representing the Seward County Ag Society, at the Seward Civic Center-Civic Center Manager Erin Wiseman and Clark Kolterman.  Teacher Coordinators for the project included Jordan Hinrichs, Emilia Brozek, and Lynnette Petersen.

“The annual offering of a local “Seward High Community Service Day” evolved last year with so many students in a quandary as to know how to go about completing their community service graduation requirement,” stated coordinator Jordan Hinrichs.  “We wanted to give the students an opportunity to see how to begin the community service process, by placing them with a specific venue that needed assistance.  Names of the numerous locations that are often used for students to complete community service hours and set a specific day, where many students could join in a major effort to assist these various non-profits.  Names were then solicited of students interested in volunteering for two hours on Sunday to begin their community service log.”  

The community service log is all electronic and eliminates the former, paper log that was often lost or misplaced over the four year timespan. The student completes the hours, confirms it with the sponsor, enters the information on their electronic community service page and has it verified by the sponsor electronically. 

“The program was very successful this last year and scheduled again for this year, however, many of the outdoor service projects need to be rescheduled, as the afternoon featured one of the only rains of the month,” commented Hinrichs.  “It has really been a wonderful experience where longtime volunteers are working side by side with our high school students and the partnership is the reward.  Many of these young students have never been in the facilities they are cleaning and organizing, and so it is also a very educational experience too.”

The students were offered two hours of community service at their choice of locations. Some of the locations had planned only outside projects and canceled for the day, however, many had both indoor and outdoor activities-adapting to the weather change and thus-“the show must go on!”  Students were asked to organize, polish, clean and sort at a variety of the stops.   There was quite a bit of sweeping and window cleaning as well and some long overdue light bulbs were switched out as well at one stop.

The students at Seward High are required to have 30 hours of community service as a graduation requirement and this two hours is the start of the log for many of the students.  “Now they know who to ask and where to go to find community service hours in the community,” said co-chair Lynnette Petersen.  “This coordination effort has proven to be a service that is very much appreciated by our non-profits and they now look forward to our annual “Blue Jay Way Community Service Day.”

“We had a wonderful group of enthused, young adults that worked hard and never complained. It was a fun day and we are looking forward to scheduling it again next year,” commented Emilia Brozek-co-coordinator for the program. “This is really a win-win for both the students and the non-profits and now these students know these sites are some possible options to complete the rest of their 28 hours.  We want to thank these non-profits for taking time-on a Sunday to work with the students and make this community service day a success.  Thank you Seward!”

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If a student missed out on the day’s opportunity, they can contact Gerry Meyer at the Nebraska National Guard Museum at 712-268-1981 to acquire on other opportunities for community service throughout the year at the local museum.  He can share the other opportunities as well that might fit a student’s schedule for community service.

Photo one—L-R Sjoen Munk, Benjamin Nottingham, Griffin Cooksey, assist Civic Center Manager, Erin Wiseman with one of the Christmas trees for the approaching GFWC Seward Woman’s Club’s Festival of Trees at the Civic Center on Saturday, November 27^th.  The boys assembled the trees, sorted tourism brochures and cleaned the basement of the Civic Center and behind the auditorium stage in the two hour period.

Photo two-L-R Benjamin Nottingham, Griffin Cooksey, Ellen Klintworth, Teacher Jordan Hinrichs, Morgan Kulhanek, Alexandra Conde, and Sjoen Munk