Stissing Mountain students learn the meaning of community service

PINE PLAINS — Every high school student in New York state must complete a course called Participation in Government to satisfy their graduation requirements. The class has had a community service component for many years. John Schoonmaker, the teacher of this course at Stissing Mountain High School, makes community service an important part of the students’ list of responsibilities, and it’s something they must complete during the academic year.Community service can take on many forms — blood drives, attending municipal meetings to see how government works, attending town court to see how the judicial system works, working with senior citizens at the town’s community center or helping with the town’s fall clean-up, to name a few. The school district supports these efforts and more as part of the Participation in Government class curriculum. Once the students complete their community service, they earn credit toward their grade, necessary to pass the class. Ideally, the taste of civic involvement the students get from such experiences encourages them to continue their volunteerism well after they graduate from Schoonmaker’s classroom.This year, the students joined forces to help a cause that has local roots. In the Pine Plains community there’s a family that has been a strong advocate for others for many years — the Fisher family. The family has established the Fisher House Foundation, which provides free or low-cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. Who better to provide students as role models? Arnold and Audrey Fisher have consistently supported many programs that enrich the lives of young students in the Pine Plains Central School District, including theater, sports, the study of history, the school’s China Exchange Program and the Scholarship Fund — all have been recipients of the Fishers’ continued generosity. The Fishers do not limit their support to only local programs. So when Stissing Mountain students learned that there was a Fisher House in Albany, they decided that it would be appropriate to support the program, showing the Fisher family that they, too, know how to give back. Choosing a program close to the Fishers’ heart seemed like an appropriate beginning to show the Pine Plains community’s appreciation for their efforts.Under the direction of their teacher, the students began fundraising. The end result was the presentation of a check for $400 to Audrey Fisher for the Albany Fisher House.Karen Pogoda is a guidance counselor at Stissing Mountain High School.

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