Interested in lending a helping hand to the community? Look no further! Here, the seventh graders have recorded their volunteer experiences and shared their thoughts with you. We hope you find these examples* helpful and inspiring. Come back each week to find a new article waiting for you! Enjoy reading these fun-filled experiences! Together, we are learning to build a stronger community!
*All articles are selected by the teachers.
*All articles are selected by the teachers.
Posted April 16, 2015
Bryant Zhu March 29, 2015
March Volunteer Essay
You wouldn’t believe helping a teacher would be fun, but it is. I have been helping Ms. Vollert for a few months now. I go to her every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes she has things for me to do. Sometimes she doesn’t, but if there is work to do, I just do it for 15 to 25 minutes at a time.
Usually I staple test papers together, like math tests. Sometimes I stamp tests for the parents to sign and return. I’ve stamped reading and religion tests too. One time I corrected religion tests, but that was the only time. Also I counted the Lenten Calendar that got passed out to all the youngest child in the school. I have stapled packets for the 5th graders coming back from Angel Island, and even history tests for Mrs. Phillips. Mrs. Phillips once asked Ms. Vollert if she knew any 8th grader that could help her. Ms. Vollert said no, but she said she knew a 7th grader would, which is me.
The reason I chose to help Ms. Vollert was because she was one of my favorite teachers. My Mom, Aunt, and I were thinking on how to get other volunteer hours besides altar serving at St. Emydius and going to the Food Bank or the public library. My mom came up with the idea of helping lower grade teachers. And that is when I decided to help Ms. Vollert.
The work I do for Ms. Vollert is simple and repetitious. I don’t really mind that because I know I am lightening her work load. At the start of my service I felt eager to help because, after all she is one of my favorite teachers. At the end of my service, I felt happy that I had helped her. The one skill that I used was concentration because sometimes if I had to make piles of 20 papers, and if I don’t concentrate, I might accidentally put 19 or 21 pages. And if that happens, I have to recount again, doubling my effort.
It is much more fun helping Ms.Vollert than going to the Food Bank or altar serving. I also am pretty sure that I will be doing this constantly until my graduation. It’s fun helping her. I probably won’t use these volunteer minutes for essays, but I will do it because I want to. Even though this is considered volunteer work, it does not feel like volunteer work.
Bryant Zhu March 29, 2015
March Volunteer Essay
You wouldn’t believe helping a teacher would be fun, but it is. I have been helping Ms. Vollert for a few months now. I go to her every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes she has things for me to do. Sometimes she doesn’t, but if there is work to do, I just do it for 15 to 25 minutes at a time.
Usually I staple test papers together, like math tests. Sometimes I stamp tests for the parents to sign and return. I’ve stamped reading and religion tests too. One time I corrected religion tests, but that was the only time. Also I counted the Lenten Calendar that got passed out to all the youngest child in the school. I have stapled packets for the 5th graders coming back from Angel Island, and even history tests for Mrs. Phillips. Mrs. Phillips once asked Ms. Vollert if she knew any 8th grader that could help her. Ms. Vollert said no, but she said she knew a 7th grader would, which is me.
The reason I chose to help Ms. Vollert was because she was one of my favorite teachers. My Mom, Aunt, and I were thinking on how to get other volunteer hours besides altar serving at St. Emydius and going to the Food Bank or the public library. My mom came up with the idea of helping lower grade teachers. And that is when I decided to help Ms. Vollert.
The work I do for Ms. Vollert is simple and repetitious. I don’t really mind that because I know I am lightening her work load. At the start of my service I felt eager to help because, after all she is one of my favorite teachers. At the end of my service, I felt happy that I had helped her. The one skill that I used was concentration because sometimes if I had to make piles of 20 papers, and if I don’t concentrate, I might accidentally put 19 or 21 pages. And if that happens, I have to recount again, doubling my effort.
It is much more fun helping Ms.Vollert than going to the Food Bank or altar serving. I also am pretty sure that I will be doing this constantly until my graduation. It’s fun helping her. I probably won’t use these volunteer minutes for essays, but I will do it because I want to. Even though this is considered volunteer work, it does not feel like volunteer work.
Posted April 16, 2015
Kianna Ng March 31, 2015 Time To Get Cracking!
This month something dreadful happened, my grandmother passed away. So, I thought that I could volunteer to help my parents during this sad time and try to cheer them up. First, I baked some muffins. This was the first time I had baked them, so I was terrified. I followed a recipe online using the ingredients: pancake mix, nutella, milk, and an egg. The recipe said to mix all the dry ingredients first. “This was easy,” I said to myself. Then, the recipe said to crack the eggs in a bowl and mix them in. After, I added milk and nutella and I started stirring. Suddenly, everything broke apart and spilled! I had to ask for help from my sister. Next, I put them in the oven and waited for them to cook. Finally, my family and I enjoyed my muffins.
Next, I went shopping with my mom, to buy new clothes for my grandmother to wear at the funeral and in heaven. We went to Macy’s at Stonestown and we were looking for a jacket and a vest for her. I was looking around and found the perfect jacket! It was purple and looked beautiful to me. I showed my mother and she said that it was cute and that we should get it. Luckily, it was not as expensive as I had thought.Then, we went to Uniqlo to look for a vest. Sadly, we couldn’t find one that we thought my grandmother would like. To look some more, we went to Nordstrom. There I had a brilliant idea of looking in the sales rack. While I was there, I saw a fleece shirt that my grandmother would like. Lastly, we bought the shirt along with a vest my mom found.
The next day, I went to Chinatown with my mom. We went and bought groceries. We shopped from store to store buying herbs, veggies, meat, and snacks. While we were buying groceries, I had to collect all the bags. Which made me feel like I was a servant to everyone. After, I put everything in the car, my mom and I went to an accounting office. There my mom said that we were doing a “Tax Return.” I had to bring many papers back to the car, This made me scared to be an adult one day. Lastly, I learned many things about taxes and if you don’t pay them you're in big trouble.
The next week, I went to a Grocery Outlet, Bargain Market with my sister. There we bought ingredients to make lasagna. Then, I followed a video online saying that it was easy and there was rice involved! First, I gathered the ingredients: three Chef Boyardee cans, cheese, and rice. After, I cooked the rice and cooked the Chef Boyardee. Then, we got a pot and layered the rice and the noodles. Next, I put cheese on top and put it in the oven. Finally, it was done and my parents yelled with full stomachs, “This is really good!”
Since I had volunteered for my family, I felt overwhelmed with all the work they were expecting me to do. The people who made an impact on me were my mom, my sister, and my grandmother. My mom helped me see that we can overcome almost anything. My sister helped me see that there were many foods that I could cook on my own. My grandmother helped me see that there is more to life than being rich or wealthy and to take risks or nothing will happen to you. After this experience I felt like I am connected with something larger than I am.
Kianna Ng March 31, 2015 Time To Get Cracking!
This month something dreadful happened, my grandmother passed away. So, I thought that I could volunteer to help my parents during this sad time and try to cheer them up. First, I baked some muffins. This was the first time I had baked them, so I was terrified. I followed a recipe online using the ingredients: pancake mix, nutella, milk, and an egg. The recipe said to mix all the dry ingredients first. “This was easy,” I said to myself. Then, the recipe said to crack the eggs in a bowl and mix them in. After, I added milk and nutella and I started stirring. Suddenly, everything broke apart and spilled! I had to ask for help from my sister. Next, I put them in the oven and waited for them to cook. Finally, my family and I enjoyed my muffins.
Next, I went shopping with my mom, to buy new clothes for my grandmother to wear at the funeral and in heaven. We went to Macy’s at Stonestown and we were looking for a jacket and a vest for her. I was looking around and found the perfect jacket! It was purple and looked beautiful to me. I showed my mother and she said that it was cute and that we should get it. Luckily, it was not as expensive as I had thought.Then, we went to Uniqlo to look for a vest. Sadly, we couldn’t find one that we thought my grandmother would like. To look some more, we went to Nordstrom. There I had a brilliant idea of looking in the sales rack. While I was there, I saw a fleece shirt that my grandmother would like. Lastly, we bought the shirt along with a vest my mom found.
The next day, I went to Chinatown with my mom. We went and bought groceries. We shopped from store to store buying herbs, veggies, meat, and snacks. While we were buying groceries, I had to collect all the bags. Which made me feel like I was a servant to everyone. After, I put everything in the car, my mom and I went to an accounting office. There my mom said that we were doing a “Tax Return.” I had to bring many papers back to the car, This made me scared to be an adult one day. Lastly, I learned many things about taxes and if you don’t pay them you're in big trouble.
The next week, I went to a Grocery Outlet, Bargain Market with my sister. There we bought ingredients to make lasagna. Then, I followed a video online saying that it was easy and there was rice involved! First, I gathered the ingredients: three Chef Boyardee cans, cheese, and rice. After, I cooked the rice and cooked the Chef Boyardee. Then, we got a pot and layered the rice and the noodles. Next, I put cheese on top and put it in the oven. Finally, it was done and my parents yelled with full stomachs, “This is really good!”
Since I had volunteered for my family, I felt overwhelmed with all the work they were expecting me to do. The people who made an impact on me were my mom, my sister, and my grandmother. My mom helped me see that we can overcome almost anything. My sister helped me see that there were many foods that I could cook on my own. My grandmother helped me see that there is more to life than being rich or wealthy and to take risks or nothing will happen to you. After this experience I felt like I am connected with something larger than I am.
Posted on April 16, 2015
Jonathan Wan March 16, 2015
Volunteer Essay: March
We all learned pollution is bad for animals, people, and the environment. Did you know there are seven different types of pollution? They are water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, thermal pollution, radioactive pollution, noise pollution, and light pollution. Some of these types of pollution are not clearly visible to the eyes, but the effect is still around us. Water pollution can be seen on the beaches and in the ocean. On the beach, the trash people leave could hurt sea animals. They may choke on a bottle cap, or get tangled up in some wires.
I decided to help clean up Ocean Beach in San Francisco with a few of my friends. The day started out a little windy. My friends, Noah, Vincent, Christian, and I checked in with an organization from San Francisco called Surfrider. This organization hosts cleanups at Ocean Beach and Baker Beach. There was so much work to be done. We headed down to the beach and started picking up items like bottle caps, cigarette butts, cardboard boxes, empty cans, plastic wrap from chips, paper, burnt wood from late-night bonfires and even beer bottles. Animals could choke on many of these items such as bottle caps, paper, and plastic wrappings. I found glass but my dad helped me pick it up. Glass could cut animals and humans. My dad also helped put the wood in a pile next to the fire pit so that nobody trips on it at night. Smokers left cigarette butts on the beach not thinking it could hurt the environment. Cigarettes affect ocean animals as they can be toxic. It also can be accidentally eaten by a dog on the beach. I found many dead crustaceans. I even found a dead crab with its shell broken. These crustaceans reached quite deep onto the beach. My mom told me when the tide changes and during high tide, the waves brought up the crustaceans. When the water receded, these crustaceans are stuck on the sand and die without water, get stepped on by people, or eaten by birds. When our trash buckets were full, we went back to the collection area to empty the trash into big trash bags. Michael, the head of the program, showed us a whale near the shore. I saw it blew water from its blow hole. That was a highlight of our volunteer time.
On our way back to the dump station, we found even more garbage on the sidewalk. There were leftover food, cardboard boxes, beer bottles, wine bottles, and some more cigarettes. It was surprising to see that although there were garbage cans all throughout the sidewalk, people just left trash everywhere on the sidewalk. After cleaning the trash from the sidewalk, we once again emptied out the trash. My friends and I picked up enough trash to fill up two and a half garbage bags. We still had time so we went to the opposite side of the shoreline, but other volunteers cleaned up already so the beach was not as polluted. We only found little items like cigarettes, bottle caps, and some paper. After a quick trip, we went back on the boardwalk to dump away the trash again.
On the boardwalk, we cleaned up more and the trash overfilled our buckets, and it got pretty heavy. We lugged the buckets to the dump station and poured it out quickly. When we were finally done, my friends and I had to clean out our shoes because it collected so much sand. I realized that we picked up the most trash near the bonfire areas. It seemed people threw trash near the bonfires when they gathered and did not clean up afterwards. After we finished beach cleanup, my friends and I played on the clean beach!
When I signed up for this volunteer opportunity, I did not think about the harsh impact on the environment. The person who made an impact on me that day was my mom. She taught me about how each item affects the environment. I learned that cigarettes even after it has been used can be toxic to many animals that roam the beach and ocean. I learned how high and low tide affect crustaceans. I learned that plastic bags and bottle caps can choke animals but seeing how many on the beach was surprising. In the long run, pollution can contaminate and kill many living things. Maybe, I can clean up my own neighborhood so that I can do what I can to keep the environment healthy.
Jonathan Wan March 16, 2015
Volunteer Essay: March
We all learned pollution is bad for animals, people, and the environment. Did you know there are seven different types of pollution? They are water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, thermal pollution, radioactive pollution, noise pollution, and light pollution. Some of these types of pollution are not clearly visible to the eyes, but the effect is still around us. Water pollution can be seen on the beaches and in the ocean. On the beach, the trash people leave could hurt sea animals. They may choke on a bottle cap, or get tangled up in some wires.
I decided to help clean up Ocean Beach in San Francisco with a few of my friends. The day started out a little windy. My friends, Noah, Vincent, Christian, and I checked in with an organization from San Francisco called Surfrider. This organization hosts cleanups at Ocean Beach and Baker Beach. There was so much work to be done. We headed down to the beach and started picking up items like bottle caps, cigarette butts, cardboard boxes, empty cans, plastic wrap from chips, paper, burnt wood from late-night bonfires and even beer bottles. Animals could choke on many of these items such as bottle caps, paper, and plastic wrappings. I found glass but my dad helped me pick it up. Glass could cut animals and humans. My dad also helped put the wood in a pile next to the fire pit so that nobody trips on it at night. Smokers left cigarette butts on the beach not thinking it could hurt the environment. Cigarettes affect ocean animals as they can be toxic. It also can be accidentally eaten by a dog on the beach. I found many dead crustaceans. I even found a dead crab with its shell broken. These crustaceans reached quite deep onto the beach. My mom told me when the tide changes and during high tide, the waves brought up the crustaceans. When the water receded, these crustaceans are stuck on the sand and die without water, get stepped on by people, or eaten by birds. When our trash buckets were full, we went back to the collection area to empty the trash into big trash bags. Michael, the head of the program, showed us a whale near the shore. I saw it blew water from its blow hole. That was a highlight of our volunteer time.
On our way back to the dump station, we found even more garbage on the sidewalk. There were leftover food, cardboard boxes, beer bottles, wine bottles, and some more cigarettes. It was surprising to see that although there were garbage cans all throughout the sidewalk, people just left trash everywhere on the sidewalk. After cleaning the trash from the sidewalk, we once again emptied out the trash. My friends and I picked up enough trash to fill up two and a half garbage bags. We still had time so we went to the opposite side of the shoreline, but other volunteers cleaned up already so the beach was not as polluted. We only found little items like cigarettes, bottle caps, and some paper. After a quick trip, we went back on the boardwalk to dump away the trash again.
On the boardwalk, we cleaned up more and the trash overfilled our buckets, and it got pretty heavy. We lugged the buckets to the dump station and poured it out quickly. When we were finally done, my friends and I had to clean out our shoes because it collected so much sand. I realized that we picked up the most trash near the bonfire areas. It seemed people threw trash near the bonfires when they gathered and did not clean up afterwards. After we finished beach cleanup, my friends and I played on the clean beach!
When I signed up for this volunteer opportunity, I did not think about the harsh impact on the environment. The person who made an impact on me that day was my mom. She taught me about how each item affects the environment. I learned that cigarettes even after it has been used can be toxic to many animals that roam the beach and ocean. I learned how high and low tide affect crustaceans. I learned that plastic bags and bottle caps can choke animals but seeing how many on the beach was surprising. In the long run, pollution can contaminate and kill many living things. Maybe, I can clean up my own neighborhood so that I can do what I can to keep the environment healthy.
Posted on April 16, 2015
Shannon Li March 31, 2015
Meeting the Rocky Road (not the ice cream)
What do you do when you have a filthy landfill in the middle of a supposedly beautiful park? Some people may just hide it with ugly wired fences, but, in this case, the Presidio park leaders had a different idea. They decided to clear the garbage and plant a new community of plants in its place. The Presidio Park Stewards program was organizing the work, and coincidentally, I decided to work the same day they were going to finish planting the last section of the project. Yes, I did do this program twice already, but I discovered that I was really passionate about helping nature by weeding and planting, so I followed my heart and it led me in the right direction. I learned so many things as I watched the volunteers around me and went through my own challenges.
As the hot sun burned overhead, a small group of volunteers were gathered at a road leading down to a patch of lonely bushes. My mom and I joined this group and we were “introduced” to the dirt and mulch-filled road that was dotted with young plants in pots, ready to be planted. Our job was to dig a hole deep enough to fit the plant and water it after it was planted snuggly into the ground. Easy enough. right? Ehhh, no. Imagine trying to dig through dry, solid dirt containing many golf ball sized rocks. Then, imagine digging through that until you are a foot into the soil. Yeah, it was intense. Many people do volunteer work where they say they run into obstacles like hot weather and moldy pears, well, I literally had rock obstacles in my way. But, with the help of some handy tools, I dug the rocks out of my way and was able to tuck the tiny plants nicely into the holes.
Even with stubborn dirt and the sun beating on our backs, I noticed that, surprisingly, not one person complained. Believe me, there were many things you could complain about, but no one said anything like, “Oh, so hot. I can’t do this.” or “It’s too hard to dig, I want to go home.” The volunteers actually found entertainment by talking to one another as they worked. There were friendly talks about current events and city news above the hacking of pickaxes and shovels. It was very interesting to see people of all ages interact with each other and have a great time. I also noticed many small, kind acts through the two hours that ended up making a big difference. Some people walked around and helped water other people’s plants with a friendly smile on their face. I remember this one guy who started digging holes for everyone with a huge shovel. Digging the holes was the hardest part and I was surprised that he was willing to do it for everyone. Because of his effort, we finished planting all the plants much quicker than if everyone dug and planted their own plants.
For this volunteer work, I needed to have determination and cooperation. It wasn’t easy swinging at hard dirt for two hours, but I didn’t want to give up either. Luckily, I had determination by my side and it flowed through my arms and brain whenever I wanted to stop working. Determination kept me going the whole time and I’m thankful for it. Along with determination was cooperation. So many people around me were trying to help make the job easier so I followed their example. Everyone was part of a team. We each had our separate rolls to play and when we put them together, we accomplished so much. The person who made the biggest impact on me was the guy who went around helping people dig holes. He was one of the leaders of the program, and I thought he showed a good example of loving what you do. There was always a smile on his face and it always looked like he was having a blast being out helping nature and doing his job. I admire people like that who pick a job where people can tell that they enjoy it. Then, the people around you will “catch the good vibes” and they will feel ready to contribute too.
Overall, I had an amazing time and the hard work payed off because by the end, the 12 of us had planted around 250 plants!! As we looked back on the once barren road that trucks drove on, we saw it speckled with tons of happy green plants. The job at that site was complete and the best part was that everyone was a part of it. Everyone had a role to play the moment their shovel hit the dirt. There were challenges that were small and big, but they soon disappeared when you looked to fellow workers for help. And when I wrote this essay, I didn’t find it harder to write about this program that I had worked at before because everytime was a new experience, and I still love the things we do there. As my mom told me when I first started my volunteer hours, “It’s not just about finishing the work at different places to record it as volunteer hours, it’s about the experience you had doing the work. That’s what should matter in the end.”
Shannon Li March 31, 2015
Meeting the Rocky Road (not the ice cream)
What do you do when you have a filthy landfill in the middle of a supposedly beautiful park? Some people may just hide it with ugly wired fences, but, in this case, the Presidio park leaders had a different idea. They decided to clear the garbage and plant a new community of plants in its place. The Presidio Park Stewards program was organizing the work, and coincidentally, I decided to work the same day they were going to finish planting the last section of the project. Yes, I did do this program twice already, but I discovered that I was really passionate about helping nature by weeding and planting, so I followed my heart and it led me in the right direction. I learned so many things as I watched the volunteers around me and went through my own challenges.
As the hot sun burned overhead, a small group of volunteers were gathered at a road leading down to a patch of lonely bushes. My mom and I joined this group and we were “introduced” to the dirt and mulch-filled road that was dotted with young plants in pots, ready to be planted. Our job was to dig a hole deep enough to fit the plant and water it after it was planted snuggly into the ground. Easy enough. right? Ehhh, no. Imagine trying to dig through dry, solid dirt containing many golf ball sized rocks. Then, imagine digging through that until you are a foot into the soil. Yeah, it was intense. Many people do volunteer work where they say they run into obstacles like hot weather and moldy pears, well, I literally had rock obstacles in my way. But, with the help of some handy tools, I dug the rocks out of my way and was able to tuck the tiny plants nicely into the holes.
Even with stubborn dirt and the sun beating on our backs, I noticed that, surprisingly, not one person complained. Believe me, there were many things you could complain about, but no one said anything like, “Oh, so hot. I can’t do this.” or “It’s too hard to dig, I want to go home.” The volunteers actually found entertainment by talking to one another as they worked. There were friendly talks about current events and city news above the hacking of pickaxes and shovels. It was very interesting to see people of all ages interact with each other and have a great time. I also noticed many small, kind acts through the two hours that ended up making a big difference. Some people walked around and helped water other people’s plants with a friendly smile on their face. I remember this one guy who started digging holes for everyone with a huge shovel. Digging the holes was the hardest part and I was surprised that he was willing to do it for everyone. Because of his effort, we finished planting all the plants much quicker than if everyone dug and planted their own plants.
For this volunteer work, I needed to have determination and cooperation. It wasn’t easy swinging at hard dirt for two hours, but I didn’t want to give up either. Luckily, I had determination by my side and it flowed through my arms and brain whenever I wanted to stop working. Determination kept me going the whole time and I’m thankful for it. Along with determination was cooperation. So many people around me were trying to help make the job easier so I followed their example. Everyone was part of a team. We each had our separate rolls to play and when we put them together, we accomplished so much. The person who made the biggest impact on me was the guy who went around helping people dig holes. He was one of the leaders of the program, and I thought he showed a good example of loving what you do. There was always a smile on his face and it always looked like he was having a blast being out helping nature and doing his job. I admire people like that who pick a job where people can tell that they enjoy it. Then, the people around you will “catch the good vibes” and they will feel ready to contribute too.
Overall, I had an amazing time and the hard work payed off because by the end, the 12 of us had planted around 250 plants!! As we looked back on the once barren road that trucks drove on, we saw it speckled with tons of happy green plants. The job at that site was complete and the best part was that everyone was a part of it. Everyone had a role to play the moment their shovel hit the dirt. There were challenges that were small and big, but they soon disappeared when you looked to fellow workers for help. And when I wrote this essay, I didn’t find it harder to write about this program that I had worked at before because everytime was a new experience, and I still love the things we do there. As my mom told me when I first started my volunteer hours, “It’s not just about finishing the work at different places to record it as volunteer hours, it’s about the experience you had doing the work. That’s what should matter in the end.”