Eagle Ridge New Tech High School students stepped away from their classrooms Friday afternoon and into the bustling dining hall at the Klamath Basin Senior Citizens’ Center, lending their hands and service during one of the center’s busiest lunch services of the year.
With more than a hundred seniors filling the room, students circulated between tables, refilled drinks and helped ensure meals reached everyone quickly. For many, it was more than a school requirement; it was a chance to see their community from a new perspective.
“It’s nice just seeing everybody’s faces,” Eagle Ridge sophomore Michael Driskell said. “I’m getting a bunch of compliments for my height, it’s a really nice thing. I love doing this.”
A Culture of Service
Eagle Ridge students are required to complete community service hours before graduation. Driskell said volunteering has become part of their school culture, something students encourage each other to stay involved in.
“We go around the school and encourage people to come get their community service hours and do this for the town,” Driskell said. “We want the most students to come and help.”
Driskell, who also helps lead the school’s leadership team, said opportunities like Friday’s embody what he appreciates most about Eagle Ridge.
“The teachers are really close and understanding of you,” he said. “It makes me actively want to come to school.”
Sophomore Noah Clayton agrees. Like Driskell, Clayton has volunteered at the senior center before, including St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas events.
“When I was here last year, it was actually pretty fun,” Clayton said. “Some students need the community service hours, but I also know a couple of seniors at our school who are here just because they like it.”
Beyond volunteering, Clayton is heavily involved in leadership, agriculture mechanics and business. He presents monthly at the Klamath Falls City Schools Board of Education meetings, an opportunity he said has helped him build confidence and represent Eagle Ridge with pride.
“It’s nice to be somebody the school depends on for that,” Clayton said. “Somebody who actually talks out for it.”
Behind the Kitchen Doors
Kitchen manager at the senior center, Chauncy Linke, said the event required early preparation.
“This morning, Nate and I came in at 4 o’clock so we could start,” Linke said. “With that many people coming in, we had to make sure everybody had a meal.”
Linke said the senior center relies heavily on volunteers, always welcoming Eagle Ridge students to lend a hand whenever they can.
She added while seniors over 60 or veterans eat free at the holiday meal, the day-to-day operation of the center is made possible by donations and grant support, including a recent Meals on Wheels grant that helped fund the Thanksgiving lunch.
For Linke, watching teenagers give their time to serve seniors offered a glimpse of what community looks like at its best.
“We don’t want to turn anybody away if they were to come eat here today,” Linke said. “Events like this, we couldn’t do without volunteers. Our big volunteers today are these Eagle Ridge students.”
