While some students’ summers consisted of beaches and vacations, the students in Spanish National Honor Society (SNHS) dedicated part of their summer to serving the community while putting their Spanish to use. The club requires the members to attend at least one of the service projects involving the Hispanic community.

“We do activites to show what unique things we can do because we can speak Spanish,” senior SNHS member Kelsey Sanders said. “Knowing a foreign language really extends your boundaries and lets you do things that other people can’t.”

Members of the club went to Della Lamb, an organization that offers classes to teach English and life skills to immigrants and refugees. They also went to Harvesters, where they heard about a program to feed children who normally have nothing to eat on the weekend. On one occasion, SNHS members helped at an elementary school, translating English to Spanish, and vice versa for parents, students and teachers on back to school night.

“We have been and hopefully will be using our Spanish to help the community around us become more cohesive,” senior SNHS president Ellie Dickens said. “Language barriers are one of the most difficult types of barriers to break through to form a more connected society, and that is what we’re trying to help with.”

The club racked up a cumulative total of 70 hours this summer. Over the year, they will have over 450 hours. With SNHS already making strides toward improving the Hispanic community, the club will continue to be active throughout the school year.