Spring Branch ISD Featured News

4/27/21: See photos of the The Big Day here.

It may be inconceivable that more than 500 high school students and staff would get up early on a Saturday morning to do a multitude of service projects benefitting the community. 

But that is exactly what is happening on Saturday, April 24. 

During ‘The Big Day,’ a day of service, students from Stratford High School in Spring Branch ISD will be fanning out across neighborhoods around the school to give back to the community.

Students will adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols during the event when they convene at 8:15 a.m. at the south side exterior of the campus, 14555 Fern Drive in Houston. 

Co-chairs of the event are Stratford juniors Ava Somera and Kesteren Beck. They have participated in The Big Day in years past and were two of 100 students to apply to lead the project this year, with the assistance of teachers Lauren Johnson and Lauren Yonkin.

With about one month of planning, 19 projects have been organized and assigned to various student groups to maximize social distancing. All project supplies and tee-shirts for the students were donated, so there is no cost for students to participate. 

The Big Day co-chairs and committee have been in high gear to get ready for the Saturday morning event. 

“We have been crunching,” Beck said. “We are making it work!”

Stratford principal, Raymorris Barnes, challenged The Big Day committee to find as many projects do out in the community as possible.

“No other school in our district does something like The Big Day,” Somera said. “It seems there is more excitement among the students because there have not been many opportunities to bond this year.”

“Every student loves The Big Day, when we get to give back to the community,” Beck said. “It brings a lot of pride to ‘Stratford America.’”

Here is a list of the participating students groups and their planned service projects:

• Theater, make promos for middle school theater productions
• Boys/Girls Soccer, assemble and distribute bags of personal necessities for the homeless 
• Girls' Lacrosse, clean-up at Wilchester West neighborhood
• Swim Team, clean-up at Plaza Oaks Pool and grounds
• National Honor Society, assemble Kids Meal Houston bags 
• HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and FDA (Future Doctors of America) groups, make fleece blankets for Texas Children’s Hospital patients
• Freshmen Girls, help the Stratford librarian reorganize the library
• Girls Basketball, provide breakfast for firefighters at a nearby station
• Book Club, build and paint Little Free Libraries to install in surrounding neighborhoods
• Academy of Science & Engineering, beautification at Yorkshire Academy
• National Art Honor Society, clean-ups in the Nottingham neighborhood
• Volleyball and Girls Golf teams, landscape work in the Wilchester neighborhood
• Student council and football team clean-up at the Sherwood neighborhood pool
• Choir, volunteer work at Family Point Resources
• Band, clean-up and landscaping at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church
• Orchestra and Texas Waterway Cleanup Club, pick up trash along Buffalo Bayou
• Football, pick up trash along Dairy Ashford
• Tennis, conduct kids' tennis clinic
• Future Teachers and Cheer, assist with children's clinic at Family Point Resources

Following the morning of service, Principal Barnes will cook hamburgers for the students as they return to the campus from their Big Day projects. 

“The Big Day is more than a transcript filler,” Somera said. “I have gotten to meet people in the community who I would have never met. It is amazing to make connections so late in the year and still be able to help so many people.”

Follow the groups’ projects on Instagram @StratfordBigDay.

Submitted by Becky Wuerth, SBISD Communications
becky.wuerth@springbranchisd.com