BRUSH PRAIRIE — The artistic students of Vancouver School of Arts and Academics have painted masterpieces before, but Wednesday morning they picked up paint brushes and rollers for a different reason: painting two new horse shelters at Silver Buckle Ranch.
Students also weeded garden beds, spread bark mulch and shoveled horse biscuits at the nonprofit horse ranch. The work they did was a part of the school’s 13th annual Day of Caring, in which VSAA students, staff members and parents fan out into the community to do service projects.
In addition to the ranch work, teams volunteered at three food banks, Share House and YWCA. Some weeded the garden at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Some cleaned up trails for the county. Some made blankets for the Linus Project, which provides blankets to children who are seriously ill or have experienced trauma. Others planted flowers downtown with Vancouver’s Downtown Association.
Day of Caring was started by two students as a senior project, said teacher Annie Averre, who is one of the school’s founding faculty members.
“It’s such a cool project. It was such a beautiful thing that other kids stepped up the following year,” she said. “Juniors and seniors organize it every year, and everyone in the school participates.”
A team of juniors and seniors contacted community members and businesses to arrange volunteer projects for the entire school.
“The students who organize Day of Caring develop leadership skills. The kids who are laborers become a team,” said Averre, who stood on a ladder as she helped students paint a new horse shelter barn red.
In addition to offering riding lessons, the Silver Buckle Ranch offers a program that helps adolescents learn life skills through ranch work and riding horses. It’s the third year VSAA students have volunteered at the ranch on the Day of Caring.
“We really appreciate it. They’re a huge, huge help to us,” said Samantha Klein of Silver Buckle Ranch. “We have 40 acres here. There’s always work to be done. Winter really took a toll with all that rain we had.”
Benjamin Kuppler, 17, bent over to weed a lilac bed. At last year’s Day of Caring he made cards for veterans. He said volunteering at the ranch was just one of his options.
“I’ve been horse riding when I was in Boy Scouts,” he said. “That’s not necessarily what drew me here. I’m up for anything.”
After students finished painting the first coat on the horse shelter, they took a break from the heat. Licking Otter Pops, most students gathered in the barn to pet the horses.
Jessica Coleman, 15, stood in front of Ellie’s stall. She stroked the horse’s velvety forehead. Ellie’s eyes followed the frozen treat in Jessica’s hand. Was there bonding going on between horse and girl?
“I think she’s mostly interested in the fact that I have an Otter Pop,” Jessica said with a laugh. “I worked at a horse camp before and I thought it would be a really fun project. And I get to spend the day with horses.”
At another horse stall, Maggie Hildreth, 13, and Alyeia GeBorde, 16, stood admiring Pepper, a 21-year-old quarter horse.
“Hey! Remember me?” Maggie cooed, reaching a paint-speckled hand toward the horse’s muzzle.
The gray gelding stood while the girl stroked his nose.
“He’s a stubborn old dude, but he’s really great,” Maggie said.
When she was in elementary school, she rode Pepper twice a week at Silver Buckle Ranch. Maggie said she chose to volunteer at the ranch because “I really love horses. I think they’re cute.”
Outside the barn a few curious horses had gathered at a fence to greet students who were eager to pet them.
Then the break was over. It was time for the students to pick up their tools and finish their work. Reluctantly, they turned and left the horses, who watched them go.
Volunteering for the Day of Caring can impact students well beyond just getting them out of school for a day to work in the community, said teacher Averre. She recalled a former student, Sean Kellar.
“He always loved the outdoors,” Averre said about Kellar. “Being part of Day of Caring seemed to inspire him. It lit him on fire.”
A 2015 VSAA graduate, Kellar is now 19. He chatted by phone from Nevada, where he is working with Nevada Conservation Corps. Eight months ago, he started as a crew member doing projects, including trail restoration work. Now he’s training to be a crew leader. He spent his high school summers working with Northwest Youth Corps doing trail restoration, planting trees and removing invasive species. Kellar said he was already on track toward his current path when he participated in his first Day of Caring his sophomore year.
“I appreciated Day of Caring. Getting kids outside and out of their normal environment. I’m a huge advocate for that,” Kellar said. “Conservation experience is so powerful for me. I appreciate that VSAA has been doing this for so long. Getting kids outside, getting their hands in the dirt. The idea is to get kids working in the community, being involved. For me, that’s working outdoors.”
Eventually Kellar plans to return to Northwest Youth Corps and be a crew leader.
“I always got excited for Day of Caring,” Kellar said. “I enjoy working with younger kids. Seeing the younger students getting revved up for working outdoors and volunteering, which is the direction my life has taken.”
