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.
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.
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.
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.
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.