Allyson Hubbell - Impacting the lives of teens

Hello all! My name is Allyson Hubbell and I am serving at Carson City-Crystal Schools in Carson City, MI. As a 2013 graduate from Carson City-Crystal High School, it is so wonderful to be in my hometown giving back to those that helped me when I was in school. Sure, it was strange at first to walk the halls of my old high school no longer as a student, but I am so glad to have the opportunity to do so. Working with the Carson City-Crystal students and staff as well as my community partner, the Montcalm Teen Center, has been busy, but rewarding. At Carson City-Crystal Schools, I serve primarily by implementing and incorporating service learning into the classroom, as well as in the lives of our students. At the Teen Center, I help with events, plan and teach team building and leadership activities, and build relationships with the students that come to the teen center to hang out in a fun and safe environment after school. In these roles, many of my tasks change on the daily to keep up with the needs of my community, so it is safe to say that my planner is always full!

I jumped into the school year planning and organizing the annual Serve-A-Thon events held during homecoming week. For two hours one day, all students in the district (K-12) complete a different service project. A few of my favorites included washing fire trucks, decorating windows downtown in preparation for the homecoming football game, raking leaves at the cemetery, and making treats and toys for dogs at the local animal shelter. Since Serve-A-Thon, I have been trying to keep the momentum going by working on at least two projects a month. So far, I have been successful and have worked on some really awesome projects that immediately help the Carson City community. In October, we held our annual Pink Week to bring awareness and raise funds for cancer research. We also held a food drive around the holidays and were able to donate many needed items to the local food pantry. In addition to the projects that we completed, the Leadership Team has been hard at work with a focus on creating a positive and enjoyable school environment. These students help keep the school’s recycling program running, attended a leadership conference at Michigan State University, and are brainstorming constantly about new projects they can implement. Before the students left for their holiday break, they decorated cookies and made holiday cards to pass out to businesses downtown while they went caroling.

My time at Carson City-Crystal Schools as a VISTA is vastly different than my experience as a student, but I can gladly say that I am still learning new things everyday. I am so fortunate to have this opportunity and to have worked on so many meaningful projects. It has been truly amazing to work with these students and to see the passion from making their school and community a better place. I am looking forward to to what the rest of my time as a VISTA will bring!