“Get involved…volunteer…help out your community,” are just some things that south high students hear on a daily basis. Students are pushed every day to ‘get involved’. Volunteering can help you gain skills you wouldn’t have otherwise learned, meet new people, explore career paths, along with gaining confidence.

Many students are unaware of how to go about getting involved, some think they have to be involved with student council to be able to participate. Although student council may contribute to opportunities, not all groups need you to be active in student council.

“We could always have help from students that are self-motivated and friendly. You don’t have to have a 4.0 GPA to be a good person,”

explained Tilly’s Pit Crew director Tracy Firgens when asked what kind of help they need.

Finding volunteer opportunities are as easy as a google search. Going to the South High School home page and under the tab student life, you can find ‘Student Volunteer Opportunities’ under the resource option. This site leads to a list of people who could benefit from your help, although the list is not very extensive, there are many other ways to get involved. Throughout South, posters can be found posted on walls for opportunities to help out.

There are clubs that meet here at south high dedicated to volunteer work. Many students have never heard of this group, Rotary Interact Club. President Philip Pethan describes the club as,

“…a great way to get involved in a different way. Rotary has a large global scene and has tons of connections. I don’t think I knew how much our city and people in our city do for others before I joined.”

Right now there are very few members, but expanding and joining the club is as simple as showing up to scheduled meetings that could last anywhere from a 2-minute check into 30 minutes when discussing fundraising and large-scale volunteer work. Each year the Rotary branch in Sheboygan puts on the ‘Making Spirits Bright’ show that hundreds of residents come to every holiday season. Volunteering is simple, collecting canned goods or money, directing traffic, or waving to people along the trail. The group also works on a global project each year. With your help, the group could find the next gold mine for fundraising and help others all over the world.

For the past two years, South High has put on a day of service. Giving back to the community is the main goal of this day. Students have many opportunities. Some leave the school and help out in neighboring schools or businesses, giving South High students a good name around the community. Others stay at school and make cards for birthdays, form tie blankets that get donated, clean for teachers and staff, and overall give everybody a renewed sense of accomplishment.

Although some students volunteer simply to meet their American Civics hours or to complete a Psychology project, some decide to help out without being asked. When asked why they volunteer students said things like, “…for fun and experience…it gives me pride and also I can be a leader throughout the community…it helps me complete National Honor Society requirements…”.

Get out and do some good!