SERVING OTHERS — The value of serving others was the overall theme of the Steubenville High School Key Club’s Honor America assembly Friday, and its participants included R.J. Barr, a member of the Tri-State Young Marines and Army enlistee, who presented the U.S. flag while the school’s band performed the national anthem.
— Warren Scott
STEUBENVILLE — The value of serving others, to the community and to one’s self, was stressed during a special program held Friday at Steubenville High School.
Each year, the school’s Key Club holds an Honor America assembly that stresses the positive impact each person can make in his or her community and includes a related essay contest, open to Harding Middle School students.
This year’s winner was Luciana Collaros, an eighth-grader at the school, who wrote, “Community service is good for mental health, physical health, social connection, personal growth and it has a vast global impact.”
A member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Collaros wrote about volunteering for its annual Greek Fest, where she has worked the snow cone stand, taken orders for food and helped with cleanup.
She said through the experience, she has learned leadership and other skills.
“When my friends were volunteering for the first time this past summer, I taught them how to do their job properly and how to use the registers at the stands,” she wrote.
Collaros added she has performed traditional Greek dances at the event and taught younger children at the festival a difficult dance originating from the island of Crete called the Kritiko by breaking it down into smaller steps they could understand.
“Another key skill I learned during the Greek Fest over the years is communication. When I first started working in the food line, I had to learn to talk to customers when they weren’t familiar with Greek food names or weren’t very nice to me,” she wrote.
“Not only did I learn to talk to customers, but I learned how to communicate with those around me. I learned to listen and talk to the people working while running around doing takeout orders and learning how to do multiple new jobs. Consequently, communication skills are something that I use in my everyday life that I learned from the Greek Festival,” said Collaros.
She said the festival is important because “it keeps tradition alive and makes people feel happy. Also, it is important because it creates bonds with the people in the community, helps with personal growth and boosts mental health.”
“Serving the community is important because not only does it create character, but it also helps give back to the people in your community. For me, serving my community makes me happy because I see the joy it brings to people’s faces,” said Collaros.
She concluded that volunteering for her church has taught her many skills while helping her to give back to a community that has helped her.
Because Collaros was ill, her essay was read by a friend, Lydia Battistel.
Attendees at the 46th-annual event, including visiting community members, heard from Ralph Petrella, a local business owner and Steubenville High School graduate, who said as a student, he had no idea the impact his time at the school would have on him but the things he learned there have carried him through his professional life and his personal life.
Petrella, who is a candidate for mayor in the Nov. 4 election, encouraged the students to volunteer, saying it will benefit them physically and mentally and boost their spirit at times when they may need it.
He encouraged them to seek out the Key Club or another organization that offers opportunities for them to serve others.
Also involved in the program were Chloe Gorman, the club’s president; Bailee Beall, its vice president; Sagan Smarella, its secretary; Laila Reed, its sergeant at arms; and Anna Spanovich, senior representative.
The club’s adviser is Ross Ivkovich.
The school’s band performed the national anthem and other music, and the U.S. flag was presented by R.J. Barr, a member of the senior class and the Tri-State Young Marines who has enlisted in the Army and has been a regular participant.
A moment of silence was observed for Barr’s father, Richard, who died in September following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Barr, who was 55, was an Army veteran, having served in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm.
