On Sunday, November 17, hundreds of Gaynor community members including students, parents, siblings, alumni, faculty and friends came together for the school’s first-ever Day of Service. At Gaynor, we believe it is as important for our students to be good global citizens as it is for them to succeed in the classroom, on the stage, or on the athletic fields. A commitment to service is integrated into our classroom curriculum, and each year we incorporate a variety of opportunities for our students to be of service, whether through the Thanksgiving Food Drive, the winter Coat Drive, or our donations to Ronald McDonald House each spring. This year, we decided to expand this philosophy to include the entire Gaynor community on a single Day of Service.
Participants were asked to collect a variety of supplies to support Exceptional Education Outreach (EEO) Bahamas, where they are helping their citizens recover after the devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian earlier this fall. EEO is a public, non-profit special education and literacy project operating in the Bahamian Family Islands. EEO strives to provide special education and literacy outreach programs to students and their communities in Eleuthera and Harbour Island. They do this through direct service in schools, training programs for teachers and parents, and professional medical assistance to underserved students.
As always, the Gaynor community rose to the occasion and then some — with over 400 participants donating thousands of school and medical supplies for EEO, writing and drawing hundreds of letters and pictures of support, and taking over 150 selfies with well wishes for the students served by EEO. The supplies were sorted and placed into over 300 backpacks that will be sent to the Bahamas.
Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor said, “The children of Eleuthera will benefit greatly from the work and generosity displayed by our community today. The Day of Service helps build a greater sense of community among our Gaynor family, and provides a terrific opportunity for our students to experience the value of helping others. I am very excited for this new Gaynor tradition!” As Silver Cluster student Anya K. said, “We should do it again next year!”
