Sophomores volunteer at Teatown Reservation

This First Friday, members of the Class of 2022 loaded up buses to Teatown Lake Reservation after checking in for attendance in their homerooms. The sophomores chattered excitedly as they drove to Croton, hopping off the buses to meet their guides for the day. 

Teatown Lake Reservation is a preserve in Westchester County where visitors are invited to hike, visit rotating exhibits, and experience Wildflower Island, home to over 320 species of native flowers. Over the past few years, the sophomores have engaged in a community service project as their First Friday activity; this is the second year in a row sophomores have voyaged to Teatown. At the reservation, the sophomores learned about the work it takes to maintain this untouched natural haven.

Upon their arrival, the sophomores were split into two groups. One moved towards the woods to use compasses in an engaging scavenger hunt, while the other walked to the auditorium to observe multiple specimens of animals native to the Hudson Valley, including owls and opossums. 

The group participating in the scavenger hunt divided into smaller groups of four to five students and used compasses to find stakes with letters in the ground. Students in the auditorium group, however, learned about ways to help animals in their local community and ways to sustain the habitats these animals live in. 

After a quick lunch, students in the two groups switched to the other activity to finish out a full day at the preserve.

Overall, the sophomores enjoyed a successful trip. They especially appreciated “bonding with [their] grade and getting to know Ms. Stanek better,” sophomore Mira Zaslow said.