Students at Sophia Academy spent the last eight months working on a service project as part of the Philly Service Awards program. We received financing from the organization to carry out the service project and for classroom supplies. At the end of the year, we competed against 75 other high schools in the Philadelphia area for a money award. The Philly Service Awards program gave 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes in three categories. At the awards ceremony on May 2, Sophia Academy students were both shocked and thrilled to hear our school announced as the 2nd place winner in the “Safer Philadelphia” category. This award comes with a great trophy and $5000. A student committee will work together to decide how to spend a portion of that prize money.
What was our service project? Cleaning the bandstand in the local park, ridding it of vegetation overgrowth, moss, trash, and more; offering free yard clean-ups in the neighborhood; visiting our local elementary school to have them help us create artwork about the community; turning their artwork and ours into a mosaic to be installed in the park near the bandstand; and purchasing a doggy waste system to be installed near the band stand.
