On the Friday before school started, SLOCA high school held a “Roman Feast” potluck to welcome students and get all the high school families together. We gathered on the lawn up at the high school campus, where blankets were spread for lounging beside low tables laden with tasty morsels. It was a casual, fun way to start the year, reconnect with old friends, and meet a few new people.
What made this event stand out to me (Jenny) as a wonder moment was actually volunteering to help with it. In all the hustle and bustle of starting the school year, it’s easy for me to disconnect and focus on my own to-do list. I will admit that I’m not the first to volunteer for things.
But I’m so glad I made the time that day to be part of this event. We prepped the food, arranged the tables, got the grill going – nothing special or difficult. We were accomplishing the goal of setting up for the potluck, but while all this was happening, we talked about our kids and the coming year, and got to know each other a little more. We joked about the unique bonding that happens when individuals spend a considerable amount of time together skewering mounds and mounds of raw chicken… it was more than just getting a job done. (I seriously wish we had a photo of the raw chicken party!)
We talk a lot about community around here. “Doing Life Together” can easily become a stale phrase, or we wonder what it really looks like. But when you realize you’re in the middle of it – like I did in this case, volunteering with other parents – it hits you that learning and serving alongside each other is so much richer than going it alone. Volunteering draws you into the community, opens your heart and mind to other people, and takes the focus off your own endless to-dos for a short time.
Of course we need volunteers in order to function as a school and provide rich educational experiences for our children. But I’ve found that it’s good for my own soul too, and one of the best ways to get to know other parents and feel connected to what’s going on. This is a special place and I’m so thankful to be a part of it!
Here are a few more photos from the evening – what a fun way to begin the year for our high schoolers!:
