Students pursue interests in community service
by Skylar Dickey, senior
January 05, 2012
Many students at Marais des Cygnes Valley engage in volunteer and community service projects throughout the year. Natasha McCurdy and Derek Wilson are a few students who actively participate in both.
Natasha McCurdy is a senior who has pursued community service projects throughout her high school years. Natasha is actively serving on the Melvern Fire Department and the Melvern Emergency Medical Service squad, and has done so for the past three years. When asked why she joined the fire department, she describes growing up with her father being a big part of the fire department.
“I always looked up to him as a hero, and I told myself that when I got older I wanted to be able to help people too,” Natasha said.
Natasha has also worked at the Melvern Community Library the last three summers. She enjoys reading and playing educational games with the little kids who come to the library.
“I’ve always loved working at the library because I love the little kids. They’re just so much fun to hang out with,” Natasha said.
Along with working at the library, Natasha also worked at the Coffey County Hospital doing numerous tasks. Pointing people to where they needed to go in the emergency room, talking to patients and helping them with their food menus, as well as delivering flowers to patients were some of the tasks that she completed while at the hospital.
“It makes you a really well-rounded person, and it gives you a lot of experiences that a lot of other teenagers don’t get,” Natasha said.
Natasha plans to go to Emporia State University for four years and study Pre-Med and then continue on to Wichita State University to become a Physician Assistant.
Derek Wilson is a senior who has actively participated in community service projects throughout his high school years as well. For the past year Derek has served on the Melvern Fire Department and the Melvern EMS squad and plans to continue doing so.
“I plan to have a future in the medical field, which is why I joined the EMS, and I decided to go along with fire just as well because it’s just an extra bump,” Derek said. “I really wanted to gain some medical experience to see what it would be like to work in the field. It has helped me really decide that medical is what I want to do. It’s one of those things I just originally thought, ‘what the heck, I’ll just go for it and see what happens.’ In the end, I discovered that it’s one of my major passions in life.”
Derek said that his service with the fire department and the EMS squad have helped him learn some basic skills and gain experience with multiple tasks.
Derek also worked at the Coffey County Hospital over the summer and described this participation and observation as something that not every kid gets the chance to experience. Derek added that these opportunities helped him learn more about patient confidentiality and its importance.
