Give thanks for giving.

The day before Thanksgiving, November 27, was the Day of Giving at Beaver Area High School, a day of giving back to the community in which students live and strive every day.

The several activities offered to students varied. Students could paint murals in the halls, bake delicious treats, clean up the cemetery, perform at Beaver Meadows with the music department, serve breakfast at The Center in Midland, and more. All students had a choice. It was a matter of what interested them most.

“We went to Rochester Manor and performed there,” siad junior Emily Anderson, “I found it really exciting! It was better than sitting in class for half a day.”

Overall, 600 students participated for two and a half hours on the Day of Giving totaling to 1,500 community service hours. Now that’s a lot of hours. With only a half school day to work, plenty was done around the school and the community.

However, since it was Beaver Area’s first Day of Giving, some of the bugs still need to be worked out. One wrinkle was ensuring all activities had enough student participation. Because some activities proved more popular, some students got bumped into a second- or third- choice option.

“I wish I could’ve painted the murals,” said sophomore Tess Porterfield, “but I got put into making cards which was still a lot of fun. Next year I feel like there should be more organization.”

Various organizations benefited from Beaver Area High School’s Day of Giving including the Foster Closet, the Women’s Shelter in Beaver County, Rochester Manor, the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, the Beaver Cemetery, Beaver Borough, Beaver Meadows, Operation Gratitude, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Kindness Murals, the Beaver County Christmas Extravaganza, the Special Olympics, the Butler County Victim Outreach Domestic Violence Shelter, the BASD Custodial Staff, The Center in Midland, and Casa San Rosa.

A special thanks especially goes out to Mr. DJ Frye and Frye Transportation for providing transportation for the Day of Giving and to Beaver Area’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Mrs. Cristine Wagner-Dietch who helped make the Day of Giving possible in the first place.

The Day of Giving was a major success. Students had fun, teachers had fun, but most importantly Beaver Area High School helped the community and the school. And the next time you walk through the hallways be sure to enjoy the murals—one of the most visible byproducts of the day. We were all the “I” in KIND this year on Day of Giving.

“The Day of Giving was super beneficial,” said junior Isabella DiPietrantonio, “I hope we continue doing Day of Giving in years to come.”