STRIVING TO SERVE: San Marcos Academy students take part in Serve Day

Many say the secret to happiness is helping others. That was very much the case as several local students took the time to serve the San Marcos community.

On Thursday, around 50 middle and high school students from San Marcos Academy participated in Serve Day. In partnership with Mission Able, a ministry of First Baptist Church of San Marcos, the students assisted in housing repair needs for underserved residents in San Marcos.

Mission Able has been in operation since 2013, with more than 200 projects completed. A total of six local projects were done on Thursday, which included a trash pick up, cleaning, painting ramps and a house and rebuilding a porch and steps. “Every time I do something to help someone else, I always like, feel a little bit more happy with myself,” said Blain Montgomery, a seventh grader at SMA. “Right now it’s kind of a crazy world, there needs to be a little bit of light in this world right now.”

Students that participated in Serve Day represented several student service organizations at SMA, including the Leo Club, National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society and Student Ambassadors.

Montgomery is part of the Leo Club. The club’s motto is Leadership, Experience, Opportunity. The club focuses on developing and practicing leadership, organization and social skills through participation in activities and service projects.

“It’s the little things that can make a difference,” said Bella Briviesca, junior and Student Ambassador at San Marcos Academy. “Just helping one person can inspire more people.”

Due to COVID, there weren’t many opportunities for students to participate in hands-on service projects last school year.

“This was like one of the opportunities to actually serve a person, you know,” said Nmachi Emelog-Obioma, senior at SMA. “It was, like, just very heartwarming to know that you put a smile on someone's face.”

Serve Day proved to be successful for both those who gave and received. With one mission down, there is hope that there are many more to go.

Above, San Marcos Academy students are rewarded with pizza after their work conducted during serve day on Thursday. Daily Record photo by Alyssa Gonzales

“We are excited about what this partnership means,” said Monica Followell, San Marcos Academy Campus Minister and First Baptist Church Minister of Missions. “We desire that Mission Able could be the platform to get local organizations and entities involved in serving their neighbors. There is more need than one church or organization can provide. Together we can make a greater impact. These students are our very own trailblazers of service and collaboration. They have been pushing to make this happen.”