Greenwood Students Cultivate Caring

It’s Wednesday morning at Greenwood, and that means classes start a bit later. Many students relish this extra time to sleep or coursework before coming to class; but not all Greenwood students are using this time to catch up.

By 9 a.m. the Lodge is bustling with students who are slicing bagels, packing Ziploc bags full of baby carrots, and counting out juice boxes. These folks are using their own time to do meaningful work: assembling lunches for community members in need through the Food Justice Program. 135 lunches, to be exact. 

What motivates these teenagers to show up every Wednesday? Each student in Ontario needs to accrue 40 hours of volunteering in order to graduate high school, and that might be what gets the ball rolling, but what happens once this requirement is met? Are Greenwood students happy to tick the required box and move on?

The numbers suggest they aren’t. At least half of this year’s graduating class have well over 50 hours, and many have more than a hundred – and the hours are still coming in. So if it’s not just a requirement, what are the benefits that keep Greenwood students coming back to contribute to their wider community again and again?

Nicole M. ‘26, the Student Exec in charge of the Food Justice Program this year, says there are a number of reasons why she keeps volunteering. “What inspires me to come in early every Wednesday is knowing that the work we do actually impacts other people’s lives,” says Nicole. “It feels rewarding to start my morning doing something meaningful.”

And it’s not just the Food Justice team pitching in outside of classroom hours. On Monday afternoons a small team of Greenwood students boards a bus to travel to Moss Park Arena where they share their hockey skills with kids through the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society, or HEROS. HEROS provides free programs and equipment to youth of all backgrounds as young as Grade 4, and they rely on student volunteers to share their expertise with participants each week. 

Cam Barnikis ‘27, a Grade 11 student who is currently in his third year volunteering with HEROS, says he doesn’t do it for the hours. “I had 40 hours before I even started Grade 9,” says Cam, as he ties up the skates of a young player. “But I learned how to play hockey in sports camps like this, and I just want to pass on my love of the game.”

On Thursdays after school, Cate Pooley ‘29 looks forward to joining some of her close friends as part of the Light Up Squad. This group of students visits a nearby home for seniors living with dementia and gives the simple gift of company. When Cate signed up for this Service Learning program, she wasn’t thinking of the hours. “At the very beginning of the year, I had completed the required volunteer hours to graduate,” she says. But she still wanted to give back. “Every time I [attend Light Up Squad], it always makes me feel happy, and I completely forget everything that bothered me that day. It always makes me feel warm when I see that the ‘Greenwood visits’ are a planned activity, and are highlighted on their daily agenda boards.”

Varagi Natkunaseelan, Volunteer and Gifts-in-Kind Specialist at Youth Without Shelter, where a portion of the Food Justice lunches are donated, sees the impact that Greenwood students are making daily. She says the lunches donated by Greenwood volunteers are not just about relieving hunger. “For young people who may not know where their next meal is coming from, being handed something nourishing represents safety and support. It’s a reminder that they are supported and not facing their challenges alone.”

The appreciation from these external organizations is there, but it does not arrive with fanfare. There are no cheering crowds when a student visits a senior neighbour, or helps a young skater up from the ice.

In the absence of requirements, awards, or even accolades, it becomes obvious that the well of support offered by Greenwood students to the diverse members of their community is coming from something inside – from their character. Character that displays empathy, work ethic and kindness. And that is something the entire Greenwood community should be proud of.

“These experiences have shaped who I am and taught me the importance of compassion and responsibility,” says Nicole, who will graduate in June. “I definitely see myself continuing to volunteer after I leave Greenwood. Community service has become a meaningful part of my life and I can’t imagine moving forward without it.”