A guide to arts-related community service programs

With the start of another school year, yet another group of sophomores are looking for ways to fulfill their community service hour requirement. Many community services programs are offered at Princeton High School, focusing on topics such as tutoring, health, and the environment. However, there are also a variety of arts community service programs at PHS.

The Arts Council club provides an opportunity for students to work together on projects such as decorations for the school and cards for senior centers or hospitals. For example, during the winter, the club puts up snowflakes to heighten the festivities.

In addition, the club also collaborates with the Arts Council of Princeton by volunteering at events and camps that the council hosts.

“During camps ... we assist with cleaning, with [art] skills, and just talking with the children. Children as young as kindergarten all the way through middle school [come to the camp], and our goal is just to spread art [to them]. A lot of the people that are in the club are interested in art, and we want to give back to the community,” said Vanessa He ’27, one of the leaders of the Arts Council club.

While the Arts Council club focuses on giving back to the community, it also brings together community at PHS.

“While we [work together], people are also talking. And I think that’s also another way for people to connect with peers, not just the whole community itself,” said He.

Another arts community service at PHS is School Beautification. A newly- formed club, their goal is to improve the appearance of PHS in order to create a more welcoming environment for both students and teachers.“Art creates a welcoming environment because ... abstract shapes and colors usually inspire creativity among people and individuals. Seeing art every day makes the space look less monotone and [industrial-like]. Instead, the more creative, welcoming environment would help students be more productive,” said co-leader Lucy Wang ’27.

The club also hopes to expand the scope of their projects in the future.

“I also hope that in the spring we are able to collaborate with some other community service organizations to hopefully plant flowers, or [install] plant pots inside the school,” said Wang.

The service project Make Your Mark has a different approach to helping the community. Focusing on creating crafts such as jewelry and clay keychains, the program donates all the handmade crafts back to the Rise organization.

Rise, a nonprofit social support project based in central New Jersey, helps the community through food pantries, thrift stores, and educational programs. In addition to making crafts, the club also organizes volunteering and crafts events for the community.

“We plan to bring arts and crafts opportunities to our community through hosting crafting events at Princeton Public Library,” said Jessica Zhang ’26, a co-leader of Make Your Mark. “We [also] organize volunteering opportunities at [Rise’s thrift store], helping to work and manage the store.”

Overall, while the main purpose of each community service project is to give back to the community, members also find themselves connecting and bonding with each other and the community.