Giving Back Faculty and Staff Serve the Greater Good of the local community

by Anne O’Connor ’78

“People have given their time freely to you during your life, not to make money or with a commercial goal to support you. It’s important to give back.”

Kate rolls her enjoyment of spending time with her daughter into service to the greater community. She’s one of four leaders of a second-grade Brownies troop and works collectively with the other leaders to communicate with the troop and their families, design activities for earning Girl Scout badges, and enable the girls to be kind, caring, and welcoming. It’s important to Kate to serve as a positive role model both in her life and as a troop leader.

Leading the troop and being part of the larger Groton community was especially important, and difficult, during the pandemic. One troop member died of COVID, and the other members worked through their feelings together. They ran a food drive in her memory, hung pink ribbons around town in mourning, and supported the young girl’s mother. LA also participated in their efforts: The school hung a large banner on Route 119 to honor the girl.

Each school year, Lawrence Academy Spartans give back to the greater community. Students participate in community service projects, often on weekends, and faculty and staff lead by example, carving out time from their busy schedules to contribute in ways that extend and complement their careers and life experiences. These activities are varied, but they all contribute to the greater good.

“We don’t have cookie-cutter kids, and we don’t have cookie-cutter adults,” says Raquel Majeski, assistant head of equity and community life. “It’s a beautiful thing. There’s a space for every kid, and there’s a space for every adult.”

Volunteering is an important part of life for the faculty and staff members who chose to share their experiences. Spoiler alert: Some met their life partners while taking action for the greater good.

“It’s always nice to give back, especially to someone that’s giving back to the community. That’s why I do it.”

Rob volunteers at Top Secret Orchard, a Groton business just getting off the ground. He wrote to the farmers (who donate half their apple crops to the food bank in Lowell) last summer, knowing they needed help. For him, the position checks off two important boxes: “I love the fact that they donate,” he says, and he thoroughly enjoys the manual labor, whether he’s mowing or running a chainsaw to cut wood to heat the house and barn.

Helping at the orchard has become an important part of some student’s lives, too. “I take kids up there all the time,” Rob says, “and they stay six or seven hours per day.” In the fall, LA’s athletic teams go to the orchard and pick apples.

“Part of being in a community is being involved with it. There are a lot of things that need to be done in a community that are nobody’s job.”

Tony is an on-call emergency medical technician and firefighter in Groton. After witnessing an accident in which people were badly injured, he realized he desperately wanted to be able to help. When he arrived at LA years later with EMT training under his belt, Tony joined Groton’s EMT force, and when the service merged with the town’s fire department, he took firefighter training so he could fill both roles.

When Tony gets calls on nights and weekends, he rushes to the fire station to don his gear, then heads out with other team members to the emergency scene. Even if he’s been out all night assisting people during some of their worst times, he heads to LA the next morning to teach. It’s good to have him on campus, Tony points out, because if something happens, he’s right there to help.

Tony’s work with the department also kindled another sort of fire: He met his wife, also an EMT at the time, while volunteering.

“It should be part of your life to give.”

Inspired by a neighbor’s son and confident in his teaching and skiing abilities, Clint began volunteering as a ski buddy for Nashoba Valley Shooting Stars, supporting developmentally challenged athletes who race and compete by watching over them and offering pointers. The group skis at Wachusett, Gunstock, and Butternut; when there is no snow, they sometimes meet with a trainer via Zoom for a workshop.

“You get what you give,” says Clint, who finds joy in chit-chatting with the skiers on the slopes and seeing their moments of happiness.” It seems as though everyone is in a silo these days,” he says, “but when you’re volunteering, you feel like you’re involved, even if it seems like a little thing.”

“You can make a difference in your community and not have to be president or super-wealthy to do it.”

Raquel uses her skills, knowledge, and training both in her job at LA and as the chair of Groton’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Town officials asked her to join the committee — a conduit between Groton residents and the Select Board and town manager — when it formed in 2020.

Raquel fell into diversity work at other independent schools. Because she was often the only Black person in the community, people would come to her with questions, and that inspired her to learn more. Raquel’s work is her passion. “I’m called to community: to walk in love, activate my faith, and be patient,” she said. “We can be our best selves for our community. The more we can do that work together, the stronger our community can be.”

“I love advocating for justice. According to my faith tradition, God loves justice; my joy comes from knowing I am doing work that aligns with my core beliefs.”

When Natasha’s son was the victim of a racial slur, his middle school did not offer dignity or reconciliation to her family, and she felt powerless to advocate for him. So, in 2020, Natasha joined forces with an outraged parent whose child was also affected by the incident to found the Racial Social Justice Group, which has presented to the Groton-Dunstable School Committee and organizes networks and resources to address racial and social justice issues within the community. Several LA community members have been active RSJG members or have been a part of other diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives around town, inspired by the work of Natasha’s organization.

“When people see LA members volunteering in the community, a bridge of mutual respect and trust is created,” Natasha writes.

“Giving back to the community is important. Groton is my home.”

Following an interest developed during her freshman year at LA, Michelle volunteers for a number of environmental causes that get her outside and allow her to share her passion without worrying about needing to grade anyone. She is a Groton Conservation Trust trustee and a water monitor for the Nashua River Watershed; she also goes on water chestnut pulls.

Born and raised in Groton, Michelle finds that her non-school roles in town help foster good relationships between LA and the greater community. “Locals sometimes resent that private schools do not pay property taxes,” she explains, “but when LA community members help out within the Groton community, people see we’re not a separate entity and we’re giving back.”

“It isn’t about you. It’s about everyone in a space.”

The pandemic put an end to Groton Community Dinners so abruptly in 2020 that the linens Kimberly washed following the last dinner remained in her house for years. Finally, this past August, she reached out to her fellow organizers, and they got busy planning their first meal in three years, held in January. The monthly dinners are a great fit for Kimberly, whose kids call her a “party planner.” Between organizing the meals — supplied by LA, Groton School, and the Groton Pepperell Rotary — decorating, and arranging entertainment, she has her hands full, but she feels as though she is part of something bigger than herself.

“Despite the name of the act, volunteering is a selfish decision,” Kimberly thinks, “because the volunteer gets more out of it than the anticipated feeling of happiness that comes from knowing they’ve done something good.”

“When the team comes together to help the community, it puts a smile on your face.”

When people need help, the fire station provides, no matter who you are. But helping people is only part of the value Mike, an on-call firefighter, gets from volunteering — the team camaraderie at the station is important, too. Every firefighter can trust the others with their life.

Mike was drawn to firefighting because his dad was a full-time firefighter in Lawrence. With no experience, but inspired by Tony Hawgood, Mike started on the first rung of the ladder and trained over time. Along the way, he learned to think calmly and overcome his fear of heights. He also has had fun — like when his team brought the ladder truck with Santa to campus.

Mike’s commitment to volunteering made a big difference in his personal life, too. At an earlier volunteer gig at a senior center, one of the women there fixed him up with her niece, Kimberly. They’re now married.

“The more we know each other, the more we can become a cohesive community.”

Meghan puts the experience and training she’s gained at LA to good use in Groton by serving on the Groton-Dunstable School District’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The group advises Groton-Dunstable schools on how better to align these policies, educational goals, and budget priorities to achieve the district’s DEI and educational goals.

As the parent of a Groton-Dunstable student and community member, Meghan felt it important to put her skills to work following a number of hateful incidents in town and in the school district. She and other LA community members work together with others in the Groton community, including those in Natasha Huggins’ Racial Social Justice Group.

“LA is not a little island within the town,” Meghan writes, “so when members of the LA community volunteer, Groton becomes more of a home and less of a location for the school.”