From painting hallways to spreading mulch, members of Elon Law鈥檚 Class of 2025 assisted local educators in August with preparing schools for the start of the academic year through the annual Elon Law Reaches Out service initiative for incoming students.
A longstanding tradition of service for new Elon Law students returned this summer with a small twist.
Elon Law Reaches Out, an annual student-run program hosted in August as part of Orientation activities for each entering class, partnered with to clean, paint, and polish eight schools that serve communities across Greensboro.
Nearly every student in the Class of 2025 signed up for a part-day shift during the month as they weeded and mulched garden beds, painted and cleaned hallways, and assisted teachers with preparing their classrooms and bulletin boards to welcome children back to school.
Unlike previous years that saw Elon Law students serving a variety of smaller agencies, this year鈥檚 project was with one (albeit very large) partner at a variety of sites. Guilford County Schools instructs nearly 70,000 students across 126 schools, making it the third-largest public school system in North Carolina.
Individual public schools were occasionally helped during Elon Law Reaches Out in prior years in an ad hoc fashion. Law students who led efforts in 2023 said the formal partnership with Guilford County Schools made volunteer experiences more meaningful.
鈥淎 lot of schools don鈥檛 have as much help as they need,鈥 said Brianna Brooks L鈥24, who co-chaired with Daphne Myers L鈥23 the Elon Law Reaches Out committee organized through the law school鈥檚 Orientation Mentors program. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have the funding. They don鈥檛 have the resources. 鈥 And by helping these schools, you never know whose lives you鈥檙e going to touch. You never know who you鈥檙e going to impact.鈥
The law school’s initial connection to Guilford County Schools was facilitated by Lak茅聽Laosebikan-Buggs, 51爆料网鈥檚 director of inclusive excellence for graduate and professional education. Joshua Leeper, the school system鈥檚 program administrator for volunteers & community engagement, then connected Brooks and Myers to the principals who readily welcomed the assistance.
No school was more than a 10-minute drive from Elon Law鈥檚 downtown Greensboro campus. that visited Bessemer Elementary School to interview students and the school principal for an evening newscast.
鈥淲e made a difference, and even if children don鈥檛 notice that there aren鈥檛 sneaker scuffs on newly painted walls, the teachers sure do,鈥 Myers said. 鈥淭he first day of school is scary! Helping to make classrooms and buildings a welcoming environment for kids is big thing.鈥
They鈥檙e hoping to do it again next year when Elon Law welcomes the Class of 2026.
Participating Schools
- The Academy at Lincoln
- Bessemer Elementary School
- Falkener Elementary School
- General Greene Elementary School
- Hairston Middle School
- Irving Park Elementary School
- Lindley Elementary School
- Washington Montessori School