Community Building Day Reflection

Community Building Day was a fun experience for me, albeit a surprising one. I thought we were going to be doing physical labor or completing tasks for the school, not just hanging out with students. It honestly didn't seem like serving, because we were just making cool things and spending time with kids who were essentially our ages. I was surprised at how good my On Track partner was at building things and completing tasks that didn't come with instructions. That part was really hard for me; I'm so used to being told what to do all the time that when we were placed in a room with materials and a project we needed to complete, I was lost...especially in the engineering-driven scribble machine room. I think  it's awesome that On Track prioritizes hands-on learning; it's much more reminiscent of real-world work environments than a typical classroom setting.

I was also surprised by how much the students enjoyed their school. They go to a tiny alternative high school located inside a noisy middle school, but all of them seem to love it. Teachers and staff there seemed more like mentors and good friends. On Track Academy is dedicated to giving a shot at high school to students who had problems being successful in traditional high school settings. They are very accommodating of students who have scheduling conflicts because they are taking care of family members and/or acting as primary providers. Goals of On Track include providing personalized learning plans for students, offering a caring, personalized environment, and allowing students to work at their own paces. They seem to be succeeding on all accounts. I wish that there were an On Track campus in my hometown; I can think of many students who would benefit from the program.

I hope we had a positive effect on the students. Though we weren't physically serving them, I hope that we helped eliminate some of the gray areas about college. I didn't feel qualified to give advice since I'd only been here for three weeks, but I think the most valuable thing we had to offer was the idea that we didn't know what we were doing. A common theme among our answers was that the college application process is hectic and we weren't afraid to ask for help. I hope that we made applying for and moving to college seem more accessible to a bunch of kids who have the potential to be successful but just don't know where to start.