Coordinator of Red Pride Service Day teaches valuable lessons outside classroom

For more than 10 years, a high school teacher has organized an annual event in Newton that takes all secondary education students out of the classrooms and puts them in the heart of their own community, where they learn the values of volunteerism and earn a deeper appreciation of their hometown.

Alison Grier, a Spanish teacher at Newton High School, has been coordinating Red Pride Service Day since its introduction to the district. However, for the past two years the event has been put on hiatus because of the pandemic. In the 2021-2022 school year, it makes a triumphant return, much to Grier’s delight.

“It’s really interesting because I have freshmen and sophomores in class right now, so of course they haven’t experienced it at the high school,” Grier said, noting they have participated in some form at the middle school. “It’s interesting to hear their perspective and what they do know and what they don’t know.”

Students in Berg Middle School, Newton High School and WEST Academy participate in Red Pride Service Day every year.

Several projects have been assigned to students this year, including: the filling of the downtown flower beds, picking up trash at various locales, planting trees and throwing away debris at Woodland Park, painting new displays for Maytag Park Holiday Lights and creating a mural at Sunset Park, among others.

Newton faculty work to instill students with a sense of pride in their community, which Grier said helps kickstart other efforts. By having kids volunteer all around town in community service projects, students learn the lesson of giving back. And it is having a real impact, Grier said.

For instance, in the past some students participated in putting public art in areas with heavy graffiti; as a result, Grier said the frequency of vandalism or more graffiti decreased. When the students are completing these projects, they develop a sense of ownership — of pride — over their work.

In other ways, the community service projects open students’ eyes to issues like littering. Grier said she has heard some students exclaim they will never litter again. Hopefully, too, the public comes to the same realization when seeing the students pick up discarded garbage around town.

Grier said the community service efforts like cleaning up litter, painting over graffiti or even scraping gum off movie theater seats shows students that everything a person does has an impact. They see what impact actions have, Grier said, and “how they can be a force for good.”

Compared to other school-organized community events, Red Pride Service Day is likely the most visible. Students are seen all over town. Again, Grier said it inspires a sense to pride to every party, whether it is the students cleaning up or the community seeing youth take care of their town.

“I know new teachers that come to the district always comment about how much ‘Red Pride’ and cardinals there are everywhere and that everybody talks about it,” Grier said. “And you see people in that gear all the time.”

Grier has taught at Newton Community School District for the past 35 years, and she will be retiring at the end of this school year. This marks her final Red Pride Service Day. Grier enjoys coordinating the event every year. It is a ton of work, but it is well worth it for the impact it has on students and Newton as a whole.

It is unlikely Red Pride Service day will disappear upon Grier’s retirement. People expect this Newton schools tradition “as much as Friday night football,” she said.

“I think we need to keep on with the ethic and teaching kids the responsibility they have for their community, and the ethic of giving back,” Grier said. “I’m hoping this lives on past my time at Newton High School.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com