We cleaned. We painted. We decorated. We sweated in the beautiful Colorado sun while we bonded as a Senior Class like never before.

On April 13th, after a memorable Senior Breakfast and capping ceremony at the Antlers Hotel in downtown Colorado Springs, the Class of 2016 headed over to the Meadows Park Community Center where we devoted two hours of our time to helping an underprivileged preschool restore its facilities and set up for its upcoming events.

Why did the seniors have their service day here?  I was curious, so I found out a few interesting reasons why this was the chosen location.  From tiny tots in tiny chairs to senior citizens of the community, the Meadows Park Community Center fosters growth both in education and in a strengthening a healthy neighborhood environment.  In the words of parks.coloradosprings.gov, “Here, dreams are nurtured, goals are set and achieved, and friendships formed all the while engendering a growing sense of community pride and accomplishment.”  Back in the 1980’s, the place we “prettied up” had just begun as a community center.  Ten years later, in 1992, they implemented a “large-scale teen program.”  Today, Meadows Park hosts small neighborhood events, like the Daddy Daughter Dance we cut flowers for, but its facilities also serve as a local food pantry.

As every senior could tell, this preschool and the surrounding neighborhood took its roots in an underprivileged community.  The houses looked different from many of our own.  The walls were not as sturdy and the floors were not as clean as what most of us have become accustomed to.  The reality of it is that many of these people live in poverty. With the opportunity to serve our fellow Colorado Springs community, the Senior Class gained an understanding of what it means to give to those in need.

Groups of us flooded the community center, helping wherever help was needed.  Some carried a spray bottle in one hand and a white (but not for long) rag in the other, cleaning the gym walls where so many kids and neighborhood locals have gathered to shoot hoops and have a jolly good time. Some joyed in fulfilling their childish desire to paint those newly clean gym walls with a paint roller (because everyone has wanted to paint with one of those cylindrical tools of wonder at least once in their lives).  Some found themselves redecorating a classroom for springtime, moving giant filing cabinets (ripping the screws out of the wall along with the cabinet), and some were found reorganizing and cleaning out the kitchen and pantry.  Some arranged flowers for the upcoming Daddy Daughter Dance.  After being nearly intoxicated with the paint fumes, many satisfied painters found their way outside to fresh air.  With more rags and soapy water, we washed down the playground slides and playset.  We danced to music while cleaning chairs that once seemed normal-sized, but now elicit an “aww, look how little and cute they are” from all the senior girls.

Wherever we went, there was something to be done.  Something to help with.  Somewhere to make a difference.  “I love that we have the chance to give back to the community as a class,” said senior Maddie May.  Madeline Bobo also commented, “Being all together and serving an underprivileged school made me feel like we were connecting as a class in a way we never have before now.”  And it’s about time.

As we brace ourselves for the coming weeks of final exams and AP testing, I guarantee you that somewhere in between studying and procrastinating, each and every senior will have a moment realizing the finality of what it means to be graduated.  We’re entering the world with nothing but our dreams and the past to bolster us up.  I’ll save my senior pep talk for next edition though.

It was an honor to serve my community, and a blessing to do so alongside so many fellow classmates and friends.  Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity, Air Academy.