Entire school skipped class and principal happily allowed it—his reason is winning hearts
Students often learn important lessons outside of the classroom as well. One school got that chance when its principal let students skip classes towards the end of the academic year for a special reason. That day, the students from Detroit Lakes High School got ready with their matching shirts and yard tools and embarked on a wholesome mission. Volunteers and staff wished them a good day and encouraged them to make a difference. The students gathered in groups and left in buses to help the community, per Kare 11's Land of 10,000 Stories.
The 800 students seemed super excited as they left the building with their tools. The school's "Annual Day of Caring" began 26 years ago, where they try to give back to their community through service every single year. It all began when their principal, Josh Omang, was still a high school senior. "This isn't new to me, no. Big day, every year," Omang explained as he cleaned the leaves from the yard of a senior citizen. 55 teams from the high school were sent to 130 sites to do yard work all around the city for senior citizens. "When you grow up here, your whole life, it's always good to give back," Jack Mears, a high school student, expressed.
Angie Barnett, a 96-year-old woman, explained what the day meant to her. She had recently had a heart attack and had gotten out of the hospital just a little time before the day at that time. "Oh, it's really helpful. I would have never been able to do it; this is a big yard," Barnett pointed out as the teens cleared the yard for her. The students felt that the lessons they learned while picking up trash, clearing leaves and so on, were even more important than what they learned inside their classrooms. Another senior woman, Bonnie Moe, revealed that the annual day of caring was her husband Al's favorite day before he passed away in 2015.
"My husband was blind," Moe revealed. He loved being around the students when they visited him each year. Moe baked brownies for the students as they cleaned her yard. Her husband used to bake treats for them while he was still alive. "Kids today are still good kids," Moe remarked. "We are all a part of the same community, so we all need to help each other," David Gembolini, a student, added as he cleared leaves. After the work is done each year, the students head back to school and get their yearbooks signed. "I feel really accomplished. Now I can just go home and relax, knowing that I made a difference today," another student continued.
People appreciated the work the kids did for the residents and the lessons they learned through it in the comments section of the video. @jeridougherty2044 wrote, "Way to go, kids. You will carry this pride forever and you will carry on this tradition, in one way or another, forever! I'm proud of you." @A_DropofSun commented, "My school does this too. Every year, we have a day where we go to businesses and public places in town and help out instead of doing schoolwork." @sescuba6045 remarked, "A Day of Caring that not only helps the community, but also teaches important life lessons!"