Remote Volunteering

The volunteers weren’t on campus, but they were still busy. Parents staffed more than 25 volunteer committees, completely reimagining how to execute traditional volunteer duties with new solutions.

LOST & FOUND

The lost & found closet, a heap of abandoned sweatshirts, water bottles, shoes, and athletic gear, was transplanted to homes of volunteers. Lost & Found committee volunteers organized, labeled, and identified each item on an interactive spreadsheet where parents could claim their children’s belongings. Once claimed, the item labeled by number was delivered to the student’s classroom. Left: Keegan Thompson sorts and folds lost Preschool items in her dining room.

COMMUNITY CLOSET

Instead of periodic popup sales for gently used uniforms on campus, the Community Closet became a virtual operation. Shoppers submitted order forms, which were collected and fulfilled by volunteers like Tami Wall, pictured here with her daughter, kindergartener Julianna Wall.

GRANDPARENTS & SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY

In lieu of Grandparents & Special Friends Day, students created an individualized gift such as a poem, painting, or heartfelt note for their grandparents. Volunteers collected, packaged, addressed, and mailed the items to the grandparents and special friends listed for each student. Far left: Michelle Hsia; Left: Alex Heins

SPORTING CLAYS

Fifth grader Gavin Yue and his mom Kate Li (above) and Marina Krasny (left) wrap gifts for attendees of the biennial sporting clays fundraiser, Pull for the Future.

PAYING IT FORWARD

A special thank you to the class of 2020 who donated the money from their class fundraiser to support the opening of School in the fall. Traditionally the funds raised are directed toward eighth grade graduation events and activities. With the cancellation of all school activities in the spring of 2020, including graduation, the class of 2020 directed the funds to support the purchase of essential supplies like sanitizing materials, disposable face masks, and infrared thermometers. Please accept our sincere gratitude for making the 2020-21 school year a reality.

Seventh grader Kyle Murphy delivers supplies so families can complete the service project at home.

ROBS DAY OF SERVICE

We weren’t able to gather in-person for our annual All-school Day of Service, but we still managed to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as #ADayOnNotADayOff. Parent volunteers delivered supplies to ROBS families, who then created packages of necessities for neighbors served by local nonprofits. Families put together toiletry kits and snack bags for Star of Hope residents and Christian Community Service Center; they made lunch sacks for KidsMeals recipients and treat bags for the pets of the homebound (Animeals); and they assembled and delivered care packages for first responders across the city. All told, over 300 ROBS volunteers served 3,010 neighbors and 760 furry friends. Kindergartener Cameron Watkins assembles toiletry bags for Star of Hope and CCSC.

LaTasha Bell prepares supply bugs for ROBS families participating in the All-school Day of Service.

ARE YOU FOLLOWING ALONG?

@ROBSHOUSTON

SAFE TO PLAY

The winter season saw the return of sports, and although students were required to wear masks and no spectators were allowed, our ROBS athletes were thrilled to be competing again. In fact, the eighth grade boys soccer team advanced to the conference championship for the first time since 2012!

“Even though the outcome was not what we hoped, our ROBS team gave it everything they had and left it all out on the field. We are proud of these boys!”

– Jesse Martin, Athletic Director

GIVE IT A WHIRL!

Seventh grade makerspace students Will Giesler, Andy Hao, Daniel Krasny, Craig Ringwald, Gray Sullivan, and Aiden Wu were finalists in the Texas Computer Education Association’s 2020-21 virtual robotics contest Whirli-bots: Motion Commotion. They entered the contest with their spin on a whirligig – a model of a turbo fan airplane engine, which they named the Whirly Bot.