On a rare sunny San Francisco Friday, the annual Stuart Hall High School Community Service Day took place. This year’s day was vastly different from years past. Instead of several groups leaving school headed to separate activities, the service was brought to Octavia Street. The Hall invited around 150 kids from Redding and Rosa Parks elementary school and multiple speakers to create a day centralized on goal three, a social awareness that impels to action.

Preceding picking up their kids from the elementary schools, the student body gathered in the Columbus Room to learn about a company called ONE WORLD FOOTBALL that creates virtually indestructible soccer balls. For every one ball sold, it donates another to a child in a developing country.

Following the information and some instructions for the day, the Knights who acted as Big Brothers for the day headed to get their respective kids and walk them to the dungeon (the gym) to hear some inspirational words about service from four-time super bowl winner and former 49er, Ronnie Lott. The hall of famer dedicated most of his time to speaking about the commitment it takes to serve others. He especially focused on putting the team before the individual.

The rest of the day was made up of various activities run by SIA (Students in Action) members, faculty and a variety of other students.  Big Brothers and their “little brothers and sisters” from Redding and Rosa Parks participated in many activities that included a jumpy house, nerf and baseball target games, ring toss brown bag races, a dunk tank, and various classroom projects such as building marshmallow towers and doing science labs. One could tell by the smiling faces of the Hall’s guests that this was a day to remember.

The SIA team that made the day possible spent weeks in preparation. At the end the hard work paid off as one could tell by the excitement of children running around obviously enjoying themselves. Julian Moreno, the head of SIA shared his favorite part of the day with the round table. “My favorite moment was probably when I was able to take a breather and look out from the second floor balcony at everyone in the courtyard. I stood there and watched for about five minutes soaking in all the uniqueness of the day. Being able to see and feel the energy of joy was incredible. While it took TONS OF WORK TO PLAN FROM THE SIA TEAM, I am happy with the end result because it turned out to be a fruitful one.”

As the head school let be known, Service Day is dedicated to the fulfillment of goal three. By bringing guests from different backgrounds to our own school to share and provide a phenomenal experience, along with the inspirational speakers from ONE WORLD FOOTBALL and Ronnie Lott, Service Day 2015 promoted awareness that led to action by serving neighbors of the Hall.