Campus

National Honor Society’s Busy Fall

Putting a bow on an ambitious stretch of service learning, civic engagement, and building relationships with community partners.

Verbatim Staff • December 13, 2023

Matt Low

After a morning spent splitting wood, NHS members hiked to the highest point of Mt. Crescent.

During the fall 2023 semester, Brownell Talbot’s chapter of the National Honor Society has participated in a wide range of service learning projects both on campus and in the community. Chapter president Clare Schinzel, vice president Tanya Bachu, treasurer Daniel Lindarev, and secretary Francesca Vidal have collaborated with students, faculty, staff, and community partners to ensure that service learning stands as a prominent component of the Upper School curriculum.

Below are a few of the highlights from this past semester.

NHS Fall 2023 Service Learning

Folding shirts for volunteers was one of several different tasks that NHS students contributed to the annual United We Walk event at the Tri-Faith Initiative. (Matt Low)

United We Walk at the Tri-Faith Initiative

The first external service project of the year takes place on or around September 11 at the Tri-Faith Initiative on 132nd and Pacific. The United We Walk event is held each year to demonstrate empathy, understanding, and compassion across cultures. Hundreds of participants come to the campus from around Omaha and elsewhere to walk the grounds in solidarity, passing by sacred sites for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. NHS members contribute in a number of ways, from folding shirts for volunteers to acting as route guides along the walk, pointing out the correct path for walkers navigating the beautiful Tri-Faith trails.

Cutting wood using hydraulic log splitters is not only cathartic, but it helps thin canopy in the Loess Hills to open up more space for restored and remnant prairie. (Mia Hatcher)

Wood Splitting and Guided Hike in the Loess Hills

For the second year, NHS members have traveled to the Loess Hills across the river in Honey Creek, IA to work with Pottawattamie County Conservation on a service learning project that involves using hydraulic log splitters to chop felled trees (some invasive, others cut down to open up space for grasses and wildflowers) that will be used as firewood throughout the winter at the Mt. Crescent Ski Area and the Loess Hills Lodge at Hitchcock Nature Center. Following the morning wood-splitting session, students were taken on a guided hike of the property adjoining Mt. Crescent by Chad Graeve, Resource Manager for Pottawattamie County Conservation. On the hike Mr. Graeve spoke about the unique topography and ecology of the Loess Hills, as well as the history of human habitation in the area, including current efforts to restore some of the native prairie that was once the predominant ecosystem in the region.

Juniors and seniors from NHS work with freshmen in the Writing Center. (Matt Low)

The Writing Center

During the second half of the Fall semester, NHS members staffed the BT Writing Center three days a week to help practicing writers with upcoming essays for their English classes. While not a requirement, most consultants in the Writing Center are members of NHS and enrolled in one of the AP English courses offered at BT. The Writing Center is one of the year-round volunteer activities for NHS members.

The fall food drive was so successful that donations overflowed from Completely Kid’s transport van into a second vehicle. (Athiei Aguto)

Fall Food Drive with Completely Kids

After a less then stellar food drive last spring, NHS reverted back to a fall event with drastically improved results. Held during the month of November, the NHS-sponsored food drive raised more than 3000 items, or one ton, of food for the Completely Kids organization. The donations, which were collected in Lower, Middle, and Upper School, will be used by Completely Kids to prepare both on-site and take-home lunches for school children in the Omaha Metro area. In addition to collecting and delivering food, Laura Armas from Completely Kids came to campus and spoke about the organization during US Chapel, which added a powerful personal connection to this year's event.

US students were able to take a break from studying during Finals Week and have some hot chocolate and donuts as part of a collaborative service activity between NHS and JuSTEMagine. (Matt Low)

Final's Week Study / Service Session with JuSTEMagine

The final event of the Fall semester was a collaboration between NHS and JuSTEMagine. Held in the Writing Center, US students were able to treat themselves to peppermint hot chocolate, donuts, and scones (from Blue Line coffee shop), find a quiet place to study, and color an image or make a card to be given to the Letters of Love and Color a Smile service organizations.

That’s it for the Fall semester, but look for more great opportunities to serve the community with NHS during the Spring semester. Look for us on Instagram @bt.verbatim for updates on future service projects.