Local and Global Acts of Kindness: Highland View Academy Students Make a Difference

Photos courtesy of Elijah Ramjattan

Students from Highland View Academy (HVA) participated in the school’s annual week of service from March 5-12, engaging in mission projects in Maryland, North Carolina, and as far away as Chile. The week-long initiative saw every currently enrolled student involved in a mission project based out of one of the three locations and aimed to make a tangible impact on the communities they served.

“Week of service is an opportunity for students to use their hands for something good and be the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Elijah Ramjattan, campus chaplain. “It’s an opportunity for them to take a break from their books and impact the community in a special and intimate way.”

The first group of students traveled to Chile, where they worked on projects in the greater Santiago metropolitan region. They were hosted by John Andrews Academy, a partner Adventist school that sends students to HVA each year for several weeks to hone their English-speaking skills. As a result, many of the HVA students were already acquainted with their Chilean counterparts and enjoyed reuniting with them during the trip.

In Chile, HVA students focused on two major mission projects. First, they assisted senior residents in low-income neighborhoods by constructing shelters for outdoor patio spaces. Due to limited home sizes, these spaces are often used for activities such as laundry, and the new shelters provided much-needed protection from the elements for the residents’ belongings. The local mayor paid a visit to express his gratitude for the students’ efforts. The second mission project saw the group help a local public school with landscaping and tidying up their garden.

Meanwhile, the HVA Aerials gymnastics team traveled to Mount Pisgah Academy in Candler, N.C., where the team utilized their acrobatic talents to teach spiritual lessons during a student-led week of prayer. During the week, Aerials team members also participated in several service projects in the surrounding area.

The final group of HVA students remained in Hagerstown, Md., where they lent their support to three local community organizations: Faith Step, Acts 9, and Circles. Their tasks included reorganizing storage spaces, packaging food and supplies, and cleaning. Other students in this group traveled to nearby Pennsylvania to assist the Chambersburg Spanish church by painting and cleaning their facility.

School officials emphasize that the annual week of service is an essential part of the student experience at HVA. “Classroom learning about our beliefs and about Jesus and how He asks us to live is important on our campus. Real personal growth happens when we apply that knowledge through the act of service,” said Rob Gettys, HVA principal. “The HVA week of service is a focused application of what we have learned in Bible class and during our worship services. It’s where our faith becomes three-dimensional.”