Ninth-grader's community service project includes tree planting on school grounds

Rachel Grigg, a ninth-grader at Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School, will travel to Europe this summer as a Student Ambassador with the People to People program. The Student Ambassador program requires that participants go through an interview process, submit letters of recommendation and complete community service projects.

As part of Rachel’s community service for the program, she planted a Norway Spruce seedling, donated by the Arbor Day Foundation, on the grounds of the junior-senior high school.

What is the People to People Student Ambassador program?

Student Ambassadors in the People to People program represent their school, community, state, and country while traveling abroad. They become immersed in the culture of other countries by hearing the languages, tasting the food, interacting with local citizens and participating in cultural activities.

The People to People program was established in the late 1950s by President Dwight Eisenhower who firmly believed that direct interaction between ordinary citizens from around the world can promote cultural understanding and world peace.

In the photo: Rachel Grigg, second from left, gets some help from her friends and science teacher Ashleigh Rozell to plant a Norway Spruce seedling at Watervliet High School. The tree planting was part of the community service that Rachel is required to complete as a Student Ambassador for the People to People program.