Giving back to a community brings a sense of warmth to anyone’s heart, but it’s especially touching when it’s someone’s own community. The Eaton community intertwined with family and friends do a great job of representing what home should feel like. Caring for one’s town and everyone who lives in it is something the Eaton community members take extreme pride in.
In the Eaton community, students, athletes, and choir and band members recognize not only the support they have from their family but their community too. Adults who have lived in Eaton for some time, and in some cases don’t have kids in the district, still never fail to support the Eaton kids. From coming to physically support an Eaton sports team to donating to help with local fundraising, these town supporters don’t go unnoticed.
As EHS approaches the end of the school year, principle Jess Grable has evoked a tradition on the highschool. As all things Mrs. Grable implements into the school district, she strives for meaning across the board. She wants every activity done to have a purpose. She wants her students to understand why they are doing this activity and what it means to her. Give-back day was introduced in the school year of 2021-2022, the current seniors freshman year. It was a day designated to give back to the Eaton community. Different variations of this day have been tested out in past years, but this year, Mrs. Grable found the perfect setup for this day. Give-back day would be every other year and would consist of a half day of giving back to the community, lunch, and reflecting on the day in advising.
In years past, many students have not come to this day and chose not to participate. This year attendance was mandatory unless excused and saw a significant difference with attendance. In the beginning, students were skeptical with Give-back day, but most by the end of it were happily surprised by how it made them feel.
Andrew Loyd (26) said, “It felt good to give back to our community especially since they support us so much.”
Loyd plays basketball and football for EHS and knows what it feels like to have a packed crowd for his games. The energy from the crowd and the overwhelming support is unmatched. This unmatchable support wouldn’t be possible without the Eaton community. Not only did students get to give back to the community that is always there for them, but they got to see how a returning helping hand made them feel.
Lila De Jager (26) said, “It felt really good to help out the community in so many different ways. It was super heartwarming to see how appreciative people in the community were.”
Within students’ busy lives, they seem to forget how much giving back can mean to someone. No matter how small of a gesture, a small act of kindness can go a long way. As the community goes about its days and continues to provide overwhelming support for the little town of Eaton, Colorado, students rarely get the opportunity to give back to those who give and do so much for them. Give-back day gives EHS students the chance to see the true meaning behind lending a helping hand, and even leaving some smiles and traces of leadership along the way.
