Soille Hebrew Day School Students Make Their Collective Mark on the San Diego Jewish Community

Soille Hebrew Day School middle school students conducted their first ever A.C.E. Community Service Program- Day of Volunteerism, led by the Reuben Klamer ‘Game of Life’ Youth Leadership Council. A.C.E. stands for Achieving Chesed and Excellence, and ties in to the school-wide character development program, Successful Me. The A.C.E. Community Service Program is the students’ response to President Obama’s call for a National Day of Community Service.

The sixty students of Soille Hebrew Day School’s middle school broke into groups and fanned out in four different directions to volunteer throughout the San Diego Jewish Community. One group of students headed to Seacrest Village where they enjoyed time with residents of the home, playing board games, dancing, and decorating. The second and third groups headed to the JCC campus to work within very different venues. The second group worked in the quiet environs of the Astor Judaic Library, cataloging, shelving, and organizing valuable archives and information, giving great attention to every detail. The third group interacted warmly with the adorable preschoolers of the Nierman Preschool, assisting the wonderful staff and parents in running a creative Tu B’shvat program. The student volunteers ran stations and interacted with the children in  pecial activities of reading books to kids, cutting out materials in an arts and crafts projects, performing improv theater, teaching poems, and even helping out at the worm composting station. The fourth group made an appreciable difference right on their own school campus. Beginning in the Abraham Hurlich Memorial Library, the students fixed shelving, organized new books and dusted and rebound older ones. Then they worked in the school’s Beit Midrash, pouring care and attention into bringing it to the splendorous condition befitting a home of Torah. 

At the end of the day, a true sense of accomplishment and purpose was shared amongst the student body. The students were invigorated, having made a real difference in the lives of others, and had a new and more profound understanding of how capable they are of making a meaningful service contribution to their community. Kudos to the entire administration and staff of Soille Hebrew Day School, whose organization and support made this important day possible. Most especially, bravo the middle school students and their Morah- Malka Weiser, the Student Leadership Council Coordinator, whose heartfelt service made a positive impact on the San Diego Jewish Community! Soille Hebrew Day school is supported by your Federation.