North Collins Superintendent Scott Taylor sees this program as an educational experience.

“I think it’s just a great service project and it’s a really a great example of a collaborative effort between the school and the community,” Taylor said. “It teaches service with faculty, staff, students all working together trying to make a difference — even if it’s a small difference of raking out a garden area or cleaning up from the winter thaw.”

Last year, Taylor said the school had different crews that traveled to different locations. The work includes various upkeep projects like gardening.

“I think it is one of those many lessons that we try to teach that occur outside the classroom,” Taylor said. “It’s one of those lessons in life, in terms of service and doing good for others. Those are really learned outside the classroom, a lesson that you can attribute with athletics or musical programs.”

OBSERVER Photo by Andrew David Kuczkowski

Also, some students may view teachers as adults who viciously assign homework and grades as harsh as possible. The outside-of-classroom experience also creates stronger bonds between the teachers and students.

“When you’re able to do things with students collaboratively and as a group outside of the classroom, it humanizes (the teacher) and gives a different perspective like: You see your teachers at your games or they talk to you about your outside work when they see you working at the local place,” Taylor added. “They just talk to you and it’s not all about English or math, science, social studies or whatever it is. It further develops, I think, the bond and relationship … that we are all in this together.”

OBSERVER Photo by Andrew David Kuczkowski