Due to the surge of the new variant of COVID-19 affecting our school and local area, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, held every year on Jan. 17, was canceled. The day of service is an opportunity for students apart from clubs and sports teams to come together on MLK day and give back to the community to show appreciation for everything that MLK has done for the country.

“We really have tried to dedicate that day to giving and serving our community and giving back to the community, following the principles that MLK has taught us,” instructional technology coordinator and DMMV sponsor Tanya Moneim said. 

Run by Do More Metea Valley (or DMMV), which is the community service branch of student government, the day of service is held every year since the school opened 12 years ago. This day consists of students and athletes coming together and being a part of many community service events. As one of the sponsors for this club, Moneim plays a big part in these service events.

“Pre pandemic, we would go to organizations like Loaves and Fishes, the Aurora library, Hesed house among other places, and we would just help, whatever they needed help with, we would have different groups that would go there and help,” Moneim said.

The year at home did not allow for any in-person volunteering opportunities due to COVID-19. However, to keep the spirit of the day alive, students zoomed into nursing homes and made their service events virtual.

However, with rising COVID-19 numbers and the students and staff affected, the sponsors of DMMV have decided that it would be safer to cancel the event to prioritize student health and acknowledge the COVID-19 guidelines by limiting the number of large gatherings that will take place. 

While the plan to make up for the cancellation of the Day of Service events has not been confirmed. According to Moneim, DMMV is planning to hold several smaller events through the spring semester.