Northridge National Honor Society spruces up Alexandria's Parker Community Park for summer
ALEXANDRIA – As an unseasonably warm afternoon ended with an impromptu game of kickball, it was a full circle moment for Travis Allen and his classmates.
The Northridge High School senior led the National Honor Society on a service project to clean up Parker Community Park in Alexandria. More than 20 juniors and seniors spread mulch around a dozen trees and flower beds and painted several structures, including dugouts and bleachers at the baseball diamond.
“It’s personal to us because we went to the Northridge Primary School in Alexandria, which is no longer there. We used to walk up here one day a year for a field day type thing, so everyone has been recollecting their time here at the park when we were kids,” said Allen, whose grandparents live next to the park. “My grandparents used to bring us popsicles over, so they brought us popsicles today. It was just super cool to be able to reflect on that.”
The students lended a helping hand to Harold E. “Squeak” Lee, a former village mayor and park administrator. In return, the students were treated to lunch from Johnston’s LakeHouse Pizza and a final hour to enjoy the park and for the seniors one of their final school days as the year quickly comes to a close.
It took senior Annabeth Hilton back a decade when a spring afternoon was used the same way.
“It’s been really special because I can remember coming here in second or third grade,” Hilton said. “I have pictures from our whole class playing on the slide. It’s been really cool to come back and help restore it a little bit.”
The National Honor Society traditionally has selected a service project each year, but since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, regulations and scheduling have made it difficult.
Allen had the perfect idea to lead the way. The park is a hidden gem just west of Main Street, but students hope their work uncovers it for residents and those across Licking County.
“This is just my second year as advisor, and we really spent the first year trying to get it rebooted again,” said Kelsie Rinard, an English teacher at Northridge. “I asked the students to really think about where they see a need for service. … (Allen) said we can really conquer a lot of things in a small amount of time.”
Several of Monday’s workers were juniors, and they will be joined by sophomores, who will be inducted early next week, next year. The graduating seniors have set a path for service.
“Everybody really enjoyed themselves,” Allen said. “Being able to give back and just showing leadership to some of our younger members is great. They will go forward with it understanding the importance of it.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Northridge National Honor Society serves at Parker Community Park
