Entire West Side High School Participates In Day Of Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2017
CONTACT: Cody Rogers (312) 884-1389, press@noblenetwork.org

Over 500 DRW College Prep Students Volunteer for
Annual Day of Service

Entire High School Spends Day Participating In Community Service Across Chicago In Partnership With Organizations Like New Life For Old Bags

CHICAGO, IL – Today, over 500 DRW College Prep students volunteered throughout the city of Chicago. Freshman students spent time at four different Cook County Forest Preserve sites while sophomores, juniors, and seniors went to one of 14 philanthropic/nonprofit locations including New Life for Old Bags (NOLB) at Bethesda Rehab & Senior Care Center.

DRW junior Arqual Patton explained their task. “Today we are doing community service, cutting up used plastic bags so they can make mats to give to the homeless. The weather is growing colder as winter is coming up and plastic bags are more durable than cardboard in colder weather.”

Mary Moy, the NOLB Board Vice President, shared that “mats require 700 plastic bags and about 80 hours to crochet. We have made about 3,500 so far.” There are several NOLB sites across the city, but the one at Bethesda makes mats every week. This is the first year DRW students have worked with this program, and students enjoyed learning a new way to recycle.

As part of the Noble Network of Charter Schools, DRW College Prep requires every graduating student to complete 40 hours of community service, and the school has been hosting a Day of Service each year since 2015. “Part of our mission statement is to make a positive impact on the community. So, we want to show our students they don’t have to wait until they’re an adult to make an impact, they can make a positive impact right now,” said DRW Principal Matt Kelly.

Damarius Wooten, a junior at DRW, enjoyed volunteering with his classmates. “The thing about community service is that you’re really not supposed to get anything out of it, you’re giving of yourself and getting nothing in return, and that’s why it feels so good.”

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ABOUT DRW COLLEGE PREP
DRW College Prep challenges and supports students to become highly educated people of integrity who positively impact their community. At DRW, we live our G.R.I.T. values of Growth, Reflection, Integrity, and Teamwork as we prepare our scholars for success in college and beyond

ABOUT THE NOBLE NETWORK OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
At Noble, we are college bound. As the largest charter public school network in Chicago, Noble’s high school program exposes our students to higher education options and guides them through the collegiate application process. Through college trips, college fairs, summer college immersion programs and required academic courses, Noble demystifies the college experience and shapes students’ beliefs and confidence about higher education.