Charlotte Latin Service Society Class of 2017
Charlotte Latin Service Society The stated mission of Charlotte Latin School is to “encourage individual development and civility in our students by inspiring them to learn, by encouraging them to serve others, and by offering them many growth-promoting opportunities.” The Charlotte Latin Community Service Program provides numerous opportunities to meet these objectives. Participation in our service program allows students to develop an appreciation and understanding of service to others. Through exposure to and interaction with people with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and socio-cultural traditions, students have first-hand opportunities to learn, to explore, and to find shared human concerns. These experiences help students discover abilities within themselves and others, while more are instilled by participation and action. The Service Program provides opportunities for our students to develop leadership skills so that they can more effectively serve the community at large. The Charlotte Latin Service Society was created to encourage students to participate in the Community Service Program and to recognize those students who have made significant contributions to the area of community service. To be inducted into the Service Society, a four-year student must perform at least 150 hours of service. Students who transfer into our school will have their hour requirements prorated. Students may earn the necessary hours at any time in their Latin career, including summers, beginning with the summer before the ninth grade year. It is hoped that service to others will become a part of a student’s lifestyle and that a significant number of hours will be earned during the school year through the School’s service program. It is also hoped that the service will, for the most part, be service to those truly in need. Service must be rendered to persons outside of the Upper School and must benefit people outside of the student’s peer group or within non-school organizations of which the student is a member. Senior inductees will have their names placed on a plaque that will be permanently displayed in the School. The members of the Class of 2017 listed below have met the requirements for induction into the Service Society. This booklet has been created to recognize their achievement.
Jake Joseph Ahearn Katrina Bianca Chandra Michelle Lamiokor Charles Ethan Foster Cooley Anna Caroline Covington Samuel Handy Culver Paige Hopkins Davis Harrison Patrick Fertitta
Olivia Gayle Fox Claire Norwood Friou Robert Macon Fuller William Jack Gardner Molly Alexander Green Reilly Jarvis Jones Charlotte Emma Kohn Mary Mercedes Littlejohn
Caroline Lanier Mackey Emma Ann Mathews Morgan Goodwin Mathews James Madison McLelland Kelly Byrne Mulrooney Patrick Jonathan Paschal Margaret McPhee Redic Emily Grace Wise
Service Organizations Below is a small selection of the many organizations with which Charlotte Latin Upper School students have served in recent years.
Community Organizations
Acing Autism American Red Cross Autism Charlotte Community Blood Bank of the Carolinas Crisis Assistance CROP Walk
Blessings in a Backpack Cookies for Kids Cancer Habitat for Humanity Hope Haven Humane Society of Charlotte
Ballantyne Elementary Billingsville Elementary Charlotte Bilingual Preschool Community School for the Arts Cotswold Elementary
Africa Arizona Australia Belize Cuba
Discovery Place Girl Up Girls Who Code iCanBike ImaginOn Kids First Latin American Festival
Community Assistance Joy Prom Laps for Love Matthews Help Center Operation Christmas Child ParaOlympics
Schools
Druid Hill Elementary Endhaven Elementary Lakewood Preschool Landsdowne Elementary McAlpine Elementary
Patriot Military Family Foundation Paws for the Cause Room in the Inn Safe Alliance Serve for the Cure SPCA Take on Sports
Race for the Cure Ronald McDonald House Swim Team Sandbox Stop Hunger Now
Parkwood Elementary Pinewood Elementary Winterfield Elementary Westerly Hills Elementary Yellow Brick Road Preschool
Service Trip and International Support Ecuador El Salvador Guatamala Haiti Honduras
Honduras Home for Girls India Nica Nadadores Thailand Tumaini Tanzania
Jake Joseph Ahearn “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.� - Galatians 5:13
Service began as an activity pushed upon me by my parents, but after my first week of iCanBike the summer after my freshman year, it blossomed into my favorite extra-curricular experience. Seeing the joy on the faces of the parents and kids themselves after they learn how to ride a bike gives me an unparalleled feeling. I have been blessed with the ease of my life, and serving others is the most valuable way to give back to those who have it more difficult than I do.
Katrina Bianca Chandra “If you want to heal, heal others and smile or weep at this happy reversal of fate.” - Muriel Barbery
I try not to think of this aspect of life as “community service”; I just try to be a decent human being.
Michelle Lamiokor Charles “Try to be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.” - Maya Angelou
Service is important to me because I believe that if I can make a difference in one person’s life, then I’m contributing what I can to bettering society as a whole. I’ve been given so much throughout my life and I’ve grown up with a lot of privilege, so I think it’s important to give back and do what I can to help those who are less fortunate. If I can give my time to make someone’s life a little better, I want to do it. Like Maya Angelou said, I want to be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.
Ethan Foster Cooley “If I’m doing something, it’s coming from a kind heart.” - Soulja Boy
Although community service is defined as voluntary work intended to help other people, it does much more than just help others. Service has seemed to help me more than it could possibly help the world around me. Volunteering at the local hospital awakened in me the sense of how blessed I am for my health and life. I gained a perspective of the lives of others who may not be as fortunate as me. Most of all, the community service I engaged myself in taught me that even in the worst situations, people have the capacity to be strong and fortified. I never could’ve imagined the impact that community service had on me.
Anna Caroline Covington “Simply put: love does.� - Bob Goff
Each person is given their own unique set of gifts and I believe it is important to share those gifts with the people around you. Service is about spending time with people and being a friend to everyone. Having the opportunity to spend time with kids around Charlotte has forever changed my life for the better.
Samuel Handy Culver “Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind but great actions speak to all mankind.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Service has been a way for me to escape. Giving back has always been something I enjoy and especially working with younger kids makes me appreciate everything I have. Service should be an important part of everyone’s lives because by helping others, you are also helping yourself.
Paige Hopkins Davis “We learned about dignity and decency - that how hard you work matters more than how much you make... that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.” - Michelle Obama
Community Service boils down to caring, stepping out of our self-built bubbles, and lending a hand. It’s a task that is simultaneously so incredibly easy and hard, but I’ve been lucky enough to have a community that has provided countless opportunities to help out, whether that be through sorting compost or the Nevins Center. So I should end this by saying thank you to all those I’ve worked with and who continue helping our community, our city, and our earth. As cliché as this sounds, you’re truly making this world a better place.
Harrison Patrick Fertitta “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.” - Mother Teresa My father once told me that the true measure of a person’s humanity is how he treats people who can do nothing for him in return. This simple proverb has incited my urge to give back to the community and to become a part of something greater than myself. I am so thankful for the relationships I have made while working with the young kids from the Charlotte Urban Eagles “Flight” Program and with my co-workers from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which never would’ve happened without deciding to give back to the Charlotte community. What I have realized through service is that when you take time out of your own schedule to assist someone in need, you not only benefit the person you help, but also yourself -- you grow in awareness of the needs of those around you and you stand as an example for others to follow. Service has played a fundamental role in my growth as a young adult and I hope to continue to give back to the community during my years in college and beyond.
Olivia Gayle Fox “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama
Community service has developed me into who I am today and has given me a new perspective with every act of service I do. Helping others is an important building block to my life, and I hope to continue throughout my life to learn more about my community by aiding them along the way. Making connections with people I do not typically see inspires me to serve others. My work with kids through summer camps and with the Paws for the Cause organization has been a joy and privilege, teaching me the importance of service and leadership in all aspects of my life.
Claire Norwood Friou “How wonderful it is that nobody needs wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank
The most valuable lessons I’ve learned and experiences I’ve had have been through service. At times, it can be so easy to get caught up in one’s own wants and desires, but what I’ve come to realize is that one of the most fulfilling things to do is to help others. My experiences with Mecklenburg County Teen Court, The Robin Hood Foundation, Fashion & Compassion, and on service trips have taught me priceless lessons on humility and compassion, and, for that, I am grateful. The kindness and warmth of the people I’ve met through my involvement in the community is what continues to inspire and motivate me. The sense that I’ve have made even a small difference in somebody’s life is what has instilled a lifelong love of service within me.
Robert Macon Fuller “He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.� - Abraham Lincoln
For me, service to others provides necessary infusions of perspective. We typically tend to automatically operate based on our own needs and interests, and deliberate efforts to empathize with and help others allow us to step back from that mindset, leaving the world a better place.
William Jack Gardner “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” - John Wooden
I am very fortunate to have the opportunities I have in my life, and I believe that to whom much is given, much is expected. Service gave me perspective and taught me to be thankful for all that I have in my life. From working with Freedom Schools to volunteering with Foundation for the Carolinas Teen Impact Fund, to coaching basketball, my service experiences have been varied. I enjoyed each opportunity and learned the importance of thinking beyond myself and my own interests.
Molly Alexander Green “No one is useless to the world who lightens the burdens of another.” - Charles Dickens
Service provides an outlet for love and compassion to be shared with those who do not always feel cared for. My fundraising and work with the Humane Society of Charlotte has been meaningful to me because I have found a way to show support and love for animals in need. It is a way to help the helpless and bring joy to others. Additionally, my work with homeless women and educating girls through Athena’s Path have allowed me to learn about the lives of others, get a sense of their struggles and offer my support for them. Service has changed my life, exposing me to a world where others are fighting their own battles, giving me a deeper sense of my own blessings while hoping I have changed the lives of others.
Reilly Jarvis Jones “This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Community service is more than just being able to document an activity for a college application. The relationships that I’ve built through an afterschool program for elementary school-aged kids called Children Achieving Maximum Potential have been rewarding through what I have learned about not only the kids themselves, but myself as well. Service work is about building these types of relationships and sustaining them over time, while managing to better the community in some type of way. Service has the power to dramatically change one’s perspective on other people’s lives and the community at large, and it has certainly altered the way in which I view the world.
Charlotte Emma Kohn “I think there’s no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world.” - Jack Lew Ray Bradbury put it best by saying “Libraries raised me” and they have. I have been going to the public library since before I could walk, talk, or even read. The library is what exposed me to the concept of service. At my local library, once a week a man comes in. He is very clearly homeless and the only substantial bit of property he owns is a bicycle and a reusable bag. Every week, he comes in to borrow books, as many as he possibly can. The librarians all know him by name and they always greet him with a smile. While the librarians can hardly sustain their own branch with what little funding they get, they selflessly send him on his way with job postings, bottled water, and hand sanitizer. I already loved the library long before I realized his situation, but they have been my role models for getting involved in service to my community. Volunteering in libraries since the fifth grade has helped me interact with so many different types of people: older or younger, loud or quiet, non-English speaking or special needs. I have also given back elsewhere. I have a personal connection to the special needs community through my cousin who has epilepsy and a mental capacity of a second grader. As soon as I learned that there were dances for the special needs community here in Charlotte, I started volunteering at those. I have now been a part of Joy Prom or the Nevins Center Dance since seventh grade. I have been fortunate enough to be able to use my skills and experiences to give back to the community and I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
Caroline Lanier Mackey “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
It wasn’t until right before high school started when I realized my true passion for service not to fellow humankind, but to our four legged furry friends. I’ve made it my mission since I first visited the animal shelter to make a difference in the rate of euthanasia in Cleveland County. Nothing beats the moment when I finally see a dog welcomed into his new, forever home, knowing we made a profound difference in his life. Rescuing dogs has allowed me to become an agent of change, and I love it. Whether I find myself practicing veterinary medicine locally or if it takes me across borders spaying and neutering to help end overpopulation, I know rescuing dogs and having them in my life will forever be what defines me. By helping, saving, and improving the lives of those who are powerless and voiceless, I feel an extraordinary sense of purpose in my life.
Emma Ann Mathews “Be not simply good. Be good for something.� - Henry David Thoreau
Community service is my opportunity to give back to my community wholeheartedly. Adults and children I have met through service have helped put my life into perspective, and I have learned to take nothing for granted. I find great joy in knowing I am helping others while having fun and making new connections with people around me. The fact that community service increases not only the quality of my life, but also the lives of those I am serving is one of the most humbling aspects of doing community service.
Morgan Goodwin Mathews “That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality - your soul, if you will is as bright and shining as any that has ever been. Bright as Shakespeare’s, bright as Gandhi’s, bright as Mother Teresa’s. Clear away everything that keeps you separate from this secret luminous place. Believe it exists, come to know it better, nurture it, share its fruits tirelessly.” - George Saunders
Service has been a part of my life ever since I was little. I began helping my parents deliver sandwiches for the homeless shelters, pack food packages for Haiti, and fill a rice bowl for children in need. As I grew older, I had to make a choice to continue my love for service or to spend my time in other activities. In high school, I found a passion for the special olympics program through Camp Soar. Starting the summer before freshman year I got involved with the Freedom School program at Latin, and loved interacting with the kids and helping them have a fun afternoon. On the weekends I enjoyed serving meals and baking cookies at the Ronald McDonald House. Service is and will always be an important part of my life. Service has taught me how to be a thoughtful leader and a helping hand to those in need, as well as given me the passion and determination to help those around my community.
Kelly Byrne Mulrooney “Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing.� - Frida Kahlo
Throughout my high school career, the importance of service on my life has evolved from simply collecting hours to put on a resume to an integral part of my life and identity as not only a student at Charlotte Latin, but also as a global citizen. Service gives everyone the opportunity to put ourselves in the shoes of others and to create long lasting bonds. Service can be as simple as showing empathy to someone in need, it is the unsung sides of the act of serving others that makes it so essential in our community.
Patrick Jonathan Paschal “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” - Hebrews 6:10
Throughout my time at Charlotte Latin School I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve the community outside of the school. A service trip to Georgia and Florida took me to different homeless shelters and community outreach programs that gave me a new perspective on how less fortunate people live everyday. The happiness that I saw on people’s faces whenever I help them shows me just how important service is to people who need it, and I hope to be able to help others for the rest of my life.
Margaret McPhee Redic “As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” - Mary Anne Radmacher
Service is important not only for the person being helped, but for the person who is serving. Service is a two-way street and has been the biggest blessing in my life. All the laughs, happiness, and even struggle, that I have experienced right beside the people I’ve worked with have taught me to be more compassionate and empathetic, and celebrate everyone’s differences. Service is more a way of life than a switch that you turn on and off - I think that everyone can easily serve just by helping someone you see struggling, picking up a piece of trash, doing your parents a favor at home. Something I’ve learned from my experiences is that being uncomfortable is okay, that is really where you are able to grow the most from the work that you are doing.
Emily Grace Wise “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.� - Mark 10:43-45
In the summer before freshman year I took my first service trip to Nicaragua. My family has always put a big emphasis on service, but this trip was an eye opener for me. I got so much joy out of the experience because the people I was working with were so happy and thankful for all our service to them. The trip gave me new eyes to see how amazing the human spirit is, despite horrible living conditions. I have since gone back to Nicaragua two times, and each time I am amazed and humbled by the joy radiating from the people we serve.