Leaving their mark: Show Your STRIPES service days allow students to give back

Northport High School students recently took part in the annual Show Your STRIPES community service days, a school-wide initiative that encourages students to give back through meaningful volunteer experiences.

This year’s service days were held on different days according to grade level: ninth grade on October 15, 10th grade on October 22, 11th grade on November 12 and 12th grade on November 19.

Students chose from 20 community service options, ranging from local revitalization projects to support for veterans, seniors and families in need. Volunteer sites included Helping Hand Rescue Mission; Pronto: People Helping People; The Atria Senior Living Center; Town of Huntington Senior Center; the Northport VA Vietnam Veterans of America Memorial Garden; and Calverton National Cemetery. 

Additional activities included local beach and park cleanups, projects with the Seatuck Environmental Association and the Science Museum of Long Island, helping at the Christ Lutheran Church pumpkin patch, and working alongside Northwell Health SBIRT and the Northport-East Northport Drug and Alcohol Task Force. 

Students also participated in school-centered initiatives such as beautification projects at the high school, IB mural work in the S Wing, painting the K Wing Wall of Heroes, reading and recess time with elementary students, Academy of Finance financial literacy lessons at both middle schools and Media Arts production coverage of the events. 

Northport High School Principal Robert Dennis reflected on the lasting impact of the program. “Our Show Your STRIPES service days, now completing their third year, have become an impactful and memorable tradition at Northport High School,” Dennis said. “Students interacted not only with their classmates but also with community members both near and far, underscoring the importance of giving back and leaving their mark.”

This year, the Acompora and Scherer families spoke with the high school’s ninth graders about the importance of service and the heroic legacy of their children, former NHS students who passed away in 2000 and 2007, respectively. Upperclassmen also heard firsthand from Class of 1995 alumni Chris Wiebke and Doug Trani who, along with the 1995 varsity basketball team, were instrumental in initiating and completing the Cow Harbor basketball court project in downtown Northport.

“I am excited to continue this work and to invite some of our current students and future alumni to serve as guest speakers for generations of NHS students to come,” Dennis said.