By: Catrina Smith, Staff Writer

A girl walks into an empty classroom. She sets down her things and grabs the to-do list the teacher has left. She reads through it and begins her work.

Karen Nguyen, sophomore, volunteers for Mrs. Quinn. In there, she corrects and retypes papers, cleans, and takes things to Mrs. Quinn’s car. During her volunteer block, she always has something to do. “I don’t have any time for my own stuff in there. Always busy, so busy,” said Karen.

Although she probably will not do it again, Karen said she would rather have a volunteer block then a class. “Classes can be too much work.” Karen doesn’t volunteer in or out of school now, but she still supports her friends that do.

Like other students, Karen started as a volunteer because she dropped a class. If someone doesn’t like a class they’re in, going and dropping it at the Student Service office is an option. Sometimes though, there isn’t an available class for them. Instead, they are signed up to volunteer. There are those people who do it just to not have a class or want to get their silver cord. “It’s too much work, but I want it,” Karen said.

Whether it’s for helping staff, getting your silver cord, or just having no class during a period, there are always volunteers at Marion.