MAY 12, 2014 FEATURES 3

Students go above and beyond to give back to community

LARGE PIZZA & 20 WINGS
PLUS ONE FREETOPPING
$
25
75
Expires 6/14/14.
ANY LARGE PIZZA
$
1OFF
Expires 6/14/14.
$
5 OFF
YOUR PURCHASE OF $50
DINE-IN ONLY.
Expires 6/14/14.
& Family Restaurant
Amazing Stromboli
Fresh Calzones
Awesome Wings
To Die For Pasta
Heavenly Heros
Crispy Salads
Chilly Italian Ice
23425 N 39th Dr
DINE-IN, PICK UP
& DELIVERY
Open Daily:
Sun - Thurs 11AM - 9:30PM
Fri - Sat 11AM - 10PM
623.516.7770
www.jojos-pizza.com
By BAILEY BRAMMER
Features Editor
Constructing a house is a tough
job. According to CareerBuilder,
home builders who live in Arizona
make about $48,000 a year for their
services.
Some people, however, are not
being paid for making houses. In fact,
theyre donating their time entirely for
free.
Many OHS students spend their
time volunteering, at anywhere from
food banks to third-world countries.
Wherever they donate their time, their
differences are defnitely being noted.
Ruby Clark, sophomore, ended
up donating her time and money to
construct a new home for a family
in Nicaragua who would have been
unable to afford it otherwise.
I defnitely have a heart for mis-
sions, Clark said. And it was such a
cool experience.
Clark raised a total of $11,000 for
her sixteenth birthday and presented
the money to a program called One
Mission.
As a birthday surprise, Clark
and her father had the opportunity
to travel to Nicaragua and meet the
family whose lives they were about to
change.
Once we got there, we started
building a little bit, and the foundation
was already laid, Clark said. And
then basically we hung out with the
family for three days, and just saw
what they did everyday and learned
about their lives.
Argentina, the mother of the
family receiving the new home, is a
single-mother raising six children,
whose ages range from two to ffteen.
Their house prior to Clarks
donation was a modest, one-roomed
home made of sticks, which is typical
for the neighborhood they live in.
It was so hard, passing other
families that need a house just as bad,
Clark said. And I kept saying I need
to fx that, I need to help them, but I
cant fx everything and I cant help
everyone, so Im just going to do for
this family what I wish I could do for
everyone.
Clark plans to continue to help
others by going to Mexico this fall
with her church, Christ Church of the
Valley, to build more homes for those
in need.
It defnitely changes you, Clark
said. And when you get out of the
country, its a little scary, but you just
have to trust God.
Another student who volunteers
regularly is junior, Zainil Patny. He
has completed almost 500 hours of
service this past year alone, and has
won the Presidents Volunteer Service
Award for his dedication to service.
Patny received a letter from Pres-
ident Obama with the presidential seal
on the envelope as recognition for all
his hard work.
Achieving that award, however,
was not an easy task. Patny gives his
time to many organizations, including
a non-proft summer camp in Seattle.
What we did, as volunteers, was
develop the content and organize the
site for the camp, Patny said. Last
years theme was Breaking Bound-
aries, and our goal was to get the
campers to explore outside of their
horizons.
With a group of eleven and
twelve-year-olds, Patny spent two
weeks teaching and
watching students
grow as they learned
valuable leadership
skills.
When I got
there, my frst
question was, Am I
really making a dif-
ference? Patny said.
But Ive really seen
these kids changing,
because theyre not
afraid of standing up
or taking a chal-
lenge.
Patny is still
in touch with his
participants from
last summer, and is
unsure whether he will volunteer at
the camp again this summer.
While going to to Seattle is
one of Patnys favorite volunteering
experiences, he also regularly serves
at various food banks and at a bird
sanctuary.
Other OHS students who are not
going out-of-state or out-of-country
are still volunteering their time to help
others. Hunter Murchland, freshman,
loves the feeling he gets when he
serves.
Ive helped at school events, and
Ive bought clothes for charity too,
Murchland said. It feels good helping
others, and not always being focused
on yourself.
However, some students partici-
pate in on-campus clubs that encour-
age their members to serve, such as
National Honor Society (NHS).
Cindy Knoll, NHS advisor, said
that NHS members are required to
PHOTO COURTESY OF RUBY CLARK
While in Nicaragua , Clark was able to participate in the ribbon cutting and
building on the new home that was being built for Argentina and her children.
complete 30 hours of community ser-
vice, ten of which must be some form
of tutoring.
Service is an important part
[of NHS], Knoll said. And many
students are involved in outside
organizations, where theyre volun-
teering at somewhere like a church or
a hospital.
In previous years, the number
of community service hours NHS
participants had to complete was only
twelve, but Knoll believes that a 30-
hour minimum allows the community
to know that high school students are
out in the world serving.
In addition to being NHS advisor,
Knoll enjoys joining in on community
service.
Ive been blessed in my life,
Knoll said. And I think its my
responsibility to share those blessings
with others. It gives me a fulfllment
that I wouldnt have if I didnt serve.