Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s Student Organized Service (SOS) group gives students opportunities to discover causes about which they are passionate, and then find ways to serve those causes with that passion. Led by CHCA Outreach Coordinator, Karen Hordinski, SOS exists to build up student leaders who provide service opportunities for all high school students at CHCA.

 

While all upper school students must complete at least 120 hours of service before graduation, most students go above and beyond the minimum requirement (most years, graduating classes average 220-230 per student). Leading the way this year were six seniors on the SOS Board who were recognized for their commitment, responsibility, faithfulness, and dependability. These seniors were Chase Adams, Jonathan Bishop, Ainsley Droege, Jordynn Jenkins, Lillian McNutt, and Rylan Saunders.

 

Senior Chase Adams was a SOS Board Member and leader of Stewart Carnival for two years. Known for being a hard worker and team player, Adams took initiative and followed through on each of his service projects. Hordinski shared, “Chase is an awesome person to be around, always kind to everyone and committed to what he does.” Due to COVID-19, his service team was unable to host their carnival this year, but because of his vision to build up other student leaders and to help them where they are, next year’s event will be well planned by the next student leaders who he recruited and trained.

 

“SOS allowed for me to gain experience in learning the process to set up service projects and the best ways to serve others. It taught me that service is not something that is a burden, but rather one must find what they are passionate about and serve in that way. SOS also changed my worldview as I started out not truly enjoying service and just trying to fulfill my graduation requirement, but by the end of my four years, looked forward to serve in the areas I was passionate about.” Chase Adams '20

 

 

The Dedication to Community Award went to senior Ainsley Droege, who is graduating with 768 volunteer hours – the most in the senior class! She received service hour cords, the 700-service hour award, and earned the PVSA Silver award. Droege spent her time serving on two Service Immersion Trips (Haiti and Cancun), at Bright Christian Church (helping with Sunday School, VBS, and the Children’s Ministry), SOS Habitat for Humanity, SOS Random Acts of Kindness, Leader of SOS Huddle Up for Hope for three years (raising over $5,000), CHCA Ambassador, ArtBeat volunteer, theater volunteer, classroom helper, and Leaning Eagle coffee bar volunteer. Droege did not earn her hours in bulk overnights or weeklong service immersions, but by hour by hour, saying yes to opportunities to help people and to lead others in service. During remote learning through the pandemic this past spring, she led her peers (with over 40 participants) in writing hundreds of encouragement letters to doctors, nurses, Kroger employees, police officers, fire departments, and residents in nursing homes. “Ainsley joyfully and tirelessly serves every community she is a part of,” shared Hordinski. “She has a warm, friendly smile that lights up a room and makes everyone feel comfortable. With all the pressures of high school, grades, sports, and busyness of life, Ainsley put her faith into action and served the community with her talents, heart, and time.”

 

Senior Jordynn Jenkins received the Justice & Community Outstanding Student award. She received the 200-service hour award, SOS 4-Year Student Leadership Award, led chapel at CHCA’s Armleder campus, served with Adopt-a-Class, Shantytown, SOS Board, and led Undivided Race. Known for her enthusiastic spirit of friendship, determined style of leadership, and a strong commitment to community, service, and her faith in Christ, Jenkins stands out for her passionate commitment to service and to bring communities together. She has been an active volunteer at Evanston Academy, CHCA’s Armleder campus, and has led her peers in courageous conversations that are changing the culture of the school. While she served at Armleder, Jenkins demonstrated consistent, dedicated leadership by facilitating a monthly all student led chapel service for the past four years. Using her gifts of organization and leadership, she understood that her influence as a role model had a positive ripple effect on the students and their families. The outcomes of the chapels not only included a challenging Christ-filled message in a creative, relevant format, but they also included character development, socio-emotional growth, and a genuine friendship with the students. Hordinski shared, “With great passion and commitment to better the world, Jordynn is a positive, determined force who not only will change the world, but already has.” Jenkins was also a finalist for the AJC Simon Lazarus, Jr. Human Relations Award.

 

My experience with SOS taught me that in order to maximize your service’s impact, you must become close with the marginalized. You must seek to understand the lives of those whom you serve. Not just for the sake of them, but for the sake of yourself. Because as best said by Mr. Rogers, "Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.’” Jordynn Jenkins '20

The SOS Internship Award was given to senior Lillian McNutt. She finished her senior year with 470.50 hours, receiving the 400-service hour award, service hour honor cords, and earned PVSA Silver. McNutt was a SOS Leader for three years, and SOS Board Member for one year. She served in almost every SOS group, including RAK, Huddle Up for Hope, Shantytown, and Adopt-a-Class. McNutt also started and led SOS 1 Mission, SOS Habitat for Humanity, participated on a mission trip to South Carolina, and volunteered numerous hours at Christ Church of Mason. “Lillian lives a life of service to others,” shared Hordinski. “She not only shows up and serves with an amazing attitude, but she puts in the long hours of planning, preparing, and the behind the scenes efforts that no one knows about without ever mentioning it. Lillian is humble, caring, and gentle with others. She speaks up for others, follows through with her commitments, and leads by example.” In addition to being a SOS leader, McNutt also served as an intern in the SOS office. She did everything from making posters, posting locker notes, writing letters, calling agencies, harvesting vegetables in the CHCA community service garden, updating the SOS social media accounts, running errands around school, answering questions for freshmen, and presenting SOS to visiting families.

 

“Throughout my time with SOS, I’ve mainly learned that ‘good deeds’ pale in comparison to working towards understanding people and the systems that confine them. Service is using our resources, time, and privilege to advocate for positive changes in the systems we learn about based on the people we interact with, teach, and learn from. We aren’t called to just do good acts; we are called to support the dismantling of broken systems. SOS provides a million opportunities to interact with different people, and through those opportunities I have learned not only about the world, but about myself.” Lillian McNutt '20

 

Senior Rylan Saunders was a SOS Board Member and part of SOS for all four years. From serving with Whiz Kids and Stewart Smarties beginning in her freshman year, to co-leading Armleder chapel during her junior and senior years, Saunders has been devoted to serving the community. Hordinski shares, “She didn’t always see herself as a leader, so it was fabulous to see her service leadership growth culminate in becoming a board member her senior year. Rylan is gentle, patient, loving, wise, and strong in her values and faith. She taught me a lot and I will dearly miss her.”

 

“My experience with service in high school is one that has shaped my worldview far beyond anything I would have ever imagined. Even with graduating and not having opportunities of service at my disposal, I still find myself thinking of ways in which I can serve, whether that be serving people I’ve never met, or serving those from my community. As a result of my high school experience, service will always be a part of who I am and a need that I will always see in the world, and I could not be more grateful for that.”Rylan Saunders '20

In addition, the Quantum Leap Award is for new SOS leaders who show outstanding leadership by getting involved with a new project. Juniors Faye Cuasay and Kenta Hagiwara were the recipients of this award for their dedication to leading Musical Memories. Cuasay and Hagiwara held monthly music programs at Artis Senior Living for residents in the memory care unit. They organized 4-6 hours of practices between the months in which they would visit. At the first hint of nursing homes closing for COVID-19, Cuasay and Hagiwara organized their group and sent in a video of the students performing so that the residents could still enjoy the music. They have huge hearts for the residents and love contributing to making the residents’ days brighter with music that is familiar to them.

 

In addition to these student leaders, many other Upper School students had this to say about their experience with SOS:

“My experience with service and SOS has been incredible. The service aspect started my freshman year when I went on a trip to serve in downtown Detroit. We built homes, cleaned up the community, worked in a homeless shelter, and spent time with people with special needs. This was the trip that sparked my interest in helping and raising awareness toward poverty and homelessness. After this trip, I was shocked at the amount of poverty in downtown Detroit and I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this poverty was also all around me back in Cincinnati. This was when my worldview was changed, and I sought to explore and raise awareness about poverty that is all around us.” Ian Salkil  ‘21

 

“Working with SOS has taught me to appreciate everyone and everything in my community. I’ve definitely been challenged to break out of my shell and let my passion shine through SOS because it was a stepping stone for me to broadcast what I really care about in the world and make a little difference, which allows me to show God’s love through my work. I’ve learned that no matter how small the project, it makes a difference to the person you are working with.” Victory Bruns  ‘22

 

“My involvement with SOS has given me experiences unlike any other. I know that many people say that service brings them happiness or allows for them to establish a closer connection with God, but the most valuable thing that I have attained through service is the ability to see past my own implicit bias. As a white male, upper-middle class American attending a private Christian school, I have been raised in a ‘comfort bubble’ which has limited my perspectives and developed a passively existing, unseen bias in me. Even though I have made this great fortune that constitutes my life seem like a bad thing, at the end of the day, I find myself counting my blessings for how lucky I am to be living such a comfortable and opportunistic life. Yet through my involvement in the SOS community and the experiences that I have made through service, I have developed a stronger sense of empathy for others and have come to realize the true value that one can find through loving, appreciating, and learning from others no matter who they are or where they are in their lives. Through one particular service trip, the stereotypical presumptions that I had formulated my perceptions of society around were challenged. I am continuing to gradually dissipate my own ignorance through exposing myself to the realities that so many are stereotypically blinded from recognizing.” Marcus Daley  ‘22

 

“Over the past four years, SOS has taught me to recognize circumstances. It becomes very hard to dislike or ignore people once you consider their circumstances and that can lead to both better service and bigger outcomes.” Sam Sauer  ‘21

 

“I have learned that leading also takes a lot of planning and needs someone who can stay on top of things and be organized. I was challenged to make new relationships and friendships and step outside of my comfort zone, even on some of my worst days this year. Our school has been through a lot, but every chance I had to serve brightened my heart and gave me new opportunities to share God’s love, despite the obstacles I was currently facing.”Katie Gansle ‘21

 

“There is no place where you see more unconditional and unbiased outpouring of love than the SOS program. By challenging my perceptions and opinions, SOS has molded me into a selfless, hardworking disciple of the Lord." Gianna Rodriguez  ‘21