TOSS Art Instructor Thomas Purello rummages through portions of plastic bottles cut by volunteers.
When it comes to serving close to 2,000 students with art education across the county, a small team like The Old School Studio at The Industrial Commons has a mountain of work on their hands.
Luckily, a handful of students from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics-Morganton (NCSSM) show up each week for “Material Mondays,” ready to volunteer from 4-6 p.m.
TOSS opens its violet door on Mondays to volunteers who are at least 16 years old to help cut felt, sort colored sock loops, and chop the tops off recycled bottles.
“There’s an immense need for preparation in order for our students to have meaningful art at the end of their experience, because part of what we do is not arts and crafts,” TOSS Studio Manager Jessica Butler said, sitting at one of the paint-stained tables volunteers usually work at.
“It’s learning critical art theory in order to think critically and solve problems and be a valuable piece of our community and workforce.”
The five NCSSM students who typically visit find value not just in the community service, but also in the artistic freedom that comes with volunteering at TOSS.
An NCSSM student grabs a sweet treat while volunteering at TOSS.
Anamika Hareesh, a junior at the school, pointed to times when she got to paint banners and prepare other projects, explaining that the best part of working there was “bringing who I am to an art piece. Art helps me express myself in a way that words can’t.”
Although NCSSM students are required to earn a total of 60 hours of community service across both their junior and senior years, Anamika already knocked out those requirements and continues to volunteer for the love of the game.
She said that before she came to NCSSM, she served as the leader of the National Technical Honors Society chapter at the Central Academy of Technology & Arts in Union County. There, the students hosted sensory toy drives and taught coding sessions with volunteers.
She carried that love for community service over to NCSSM, explaining that it’s not just about what people put into it, but what they get out of it that matters.
“NCSSM has always been about accepting the greater challenge,” she said, before imparting some wisdom for rising juniors and seniors yet to fulfill their 60 hours. “It’s time to stop measuring community service through hours, and start measuring through impact. … When we stop measuring by hours, it stops being hard work.”
VOLUNTEERS ACROSS NCSSM
The school prioritizes community service for its students, whether in Burke County or in their hometowns, offering a rotation of collaborators, including the History Museum of Burke County, The Overflow, Burke United Christian Ministries, and the Lake James Environmental Association, among others.
According to Jainny Estrada, assistant director of student services, the largest single event the school conducted was on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
She said, “This past year, we had 185 students participating in 16 different projects in a single day, contributing approximately 400 total hours to the Morganton community.”
The school’s encouragement of community service doesn’t stop at the students. Faculty receive 24 hours of paid community service each year to support local organizations.
Ben Halligan, NCSSM academic programs facilitator, served as a driving force behind work at Oak Hill Community Park, partnering with Foothills Conservancy on drainage projects and other general trail maintenance.
“It was a cold day,” he explained. “We had every intention to be digging, but the earth was frozen, so there was more raking than digging. I was really proud of those kids just for being willing to get out there.”
As for Anamika, who worked at Lake James on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, writing data and studying how the environment has changed, the work in the city stretches past volunteering.
“In terms of Morganton, we’re so close-knit,” Anamika said. “There’s so much community that we can harness. What else can we achieve when we come together? There’s so much potential, so many paths we can take.”
