Because every school deserves walls that tell the story of the students who walked those halls. And every student deserves the chance to leave their mark.
It was the evening of April 29th, and I was standing in the cafeteria of Shea Middle School watching a seventh grader hold up a one-foot-square canvas covered in vibrant desert colors. She was looking at it the way you look at something you made with a mix of pride and a little bit of surprise at herself. That sense of student leadership and pride is one of the many reasons we do Love Our Schools Day.
What Is Love Our Schools Day?
Crucially, Love Our Schools Day is not a standalone volunteer event — it is the visible, action-oriented culmination of a longer planning process between school leaders and community partners.
Love Our Schools Day is a community-driven service event where volunteers, staff, students, families, faith leaders, business leaders, and nonprofit partners come together at a school to carry out hands-on improvement projects. It typically takes place in the fall, but can be scheduled at any time of year (like what happened at Shea Middle School on April 29th, 2026). Crucially, it is not a standalone volunteer event — it is the visible, action-oriented culmination of a longer planning process between school leaders and community partners.
How the Impact at Shea Middle School Came to Be
I want to pull back the curtain a little, because when people hear “Love Our Schools Day,” they often picture volunteers showing up with paintbrushes
I want to pull back the curtain a little, because when people hear “Love Our Schools Day,” they often picture volunteers showing up with paintbrushes. And yes, that’s part of it. But what made April 29th at Shea Middle School so meaningful wasn’t just what happened that evening. It was everything that led up to it.
It started with Principal Scott Lawrence, who had been through training and was part of a CAFE — a Community and Family Engagement gathering — with Paradise Valley Unified School District. He already had a vision for his campus. He just hadn’t seen a clear pathway to make it happen.
That’s something I hear all the time from school leaders: There’s so much good that could happen, but without a structured pathway, it often doesn’t move past intention. That’s exactly what Love Our Schools Day is designed to help solve.
When Allie Jones from JustServe reached out about doing a service project tied to Global Youth Service Day, Principal Scott didn’t hesitate. He said, “I really want to do this through Love Our Schools Day.” That’s when we got to work — months in advance — talking through what the school dreamed about, what was possible, who could help make it happen, and how to bring partners together around a shared mission. And because of their willingness to dream and Allie’s leadership, a beautiful thing happened.
A School That Wanted to See Itself on Its Own Walls
They wanted something that honored the desert landscape of Arizona, reflected who they are, and — most importantly — was created by the students themselves.
Shea Middle School is an art school. So when they started sharing their dream list, it wasn’t surprising that something around art and murals rose to the top. As we listened more closely, we understood what they were really asking for: they didn’t just want a picture of their mascot on a wall. They wanted something that honored the desert landscape of Arizona, reflected who they are, and — most importantly — was created by the students themselves.
That’s a different kind of ask. And it was the one thing Allie wasn’t quite sure how to make happen.
And since it was global youth service day, I volunteered my daughter, Ari. She’s a senior, an incredible artist, and excited to help. So we took a little time off from the school day to go see the space and imagine possibilities.
Ari got to work designing two large paintings — each five feet by five feet — made up of individual one-foot-by-one-foot squares. The idea was that every student would paint their own square, their own piece of the bigger picture, and together those squares would become part of the larger picture that reflected who they were as a class.
School Connect helped cover the cost of canvases and paintbrushes through our Love Our Schools Day project grants. The school provided most of the paint. Ari provided the student vision. And then more than 110 students showed up to bring it to life in their own authentic and unique way.
The Village Showed Up
Here’s what I love about Love Our Schools Day: any time you get a group of people together to serve, you get them to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Here’s what I love about Love Our Schools Day: any time you get a group of people together to serve, you get them to be part of something bigger than themselves. A spirit of generosity and camaraderie develops. Everybody’s working toward a shared mission — and they get to see that mission come to life right in front of them.
That night at Shea Middle School, kids were painting backdrops on the theater stage, scraping gum off the windows, painting pillars, doing mosaic work, planting in garden plots, and landscaping. Music was playing outside. Parents were painting alongside their kids. Staff were everywhere, making it all possible. And students were carting paint around to make sure every project team had what they needed.
Then there was the art installation.
I watched student after student pick up their brushes, look at their canvas square, and start bringing out their inner artist. When you’re painting, you’re revealing a little bit of who you are. It takes bravery to be creative. And I loved watching these kids be brave.
There was something pretty poetic about watching everyone come together to contribute their piece. Allie said it best when she said,
“We did it – and it truly took a village! This day was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when a community shows up with generosity, energy, and heart. From our partners and donors to the 110+ volunteers who rolled up their sleeves, every contribution mattered. Together, we didn’t just improve a campus, we built connection, pride, and momentum. This is what building unity through community service looks like, and we’re so grateful to everyone who made it happen!”
When Students Leave Their Mark
That’s the moment the fulfillment of something a school leader had always wanted that finally came to life.
When those two five-by-five-foot paintings hang in the Shea Middle School cafeteria, they won’t just be fun art. There will be a beautiful record of a specific group of students who showed up on a Tuesday evening in April, picked up a paintbrush, and decided to leave a piece of themselves behind.
Middle school is only a couple of years. But if you get to leave something behind and come back as a high schooler or an adult and point to a wall and say I painted that square — you’re not just a student who passed through. You’re part of the history of that school and what it’s becoming.
Huge thanks to Pete King Painting, Nick Smith, and Karsten’s Paradise Hills Ace Hardware for their generous donation of supplies; to our incredible event partners: the team at Shea Middle School, Scottsdale Bible Church – Cactus, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Paradise Valley Stake, JustServe, and the 110+ volunteers from these organizations as well as from Shadow Mountain High School – PVSchools, Paradise Valley High School – PVSchools, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Glendale Stake, Shea’s JROTC and NJHS clubs, and Shea students, teachers, administrators and parents!
It was a true success! Through hard work, so much fun, we discovered we can build unity through community service. Here’s everything we accomplished together:
Columns, stage panels, and steps painted
Planters filled, painted, and brought to life
Dozens of old pieces of gum were removed from the breezeway
Tons of bushes trimmed back to summer size
Privacy film applied to the janitorial office window
Four dumpsters and two trailers of green waste were removed
Two beautiful mosaics created (50 canvases!)
Your Invitation to Join Us
If you’re a school leader in Arizona who has watched something like this from a distance and thought, I’ve always wanted to do something like that — I want you to know: you’re not alone, and there is a pathway.
Love Our Schools Day works because of people. The leadership at the school. The community leaders who lean in. The partners — and in the case of Shea Middle School, JustServe, Global Youth Service Day, Youth Service America, and Scottsdale Bible Church — who show up organized, energized, and ready to serve. And the students who, when given the opportunity, bring their leadership and unique gifts to the table.
If you’re a school leader in Arizona who has watched something like this from a distance and thought, I’ve always wanted to do something like that — I want you to know: you’re not alone, and there is a pathway. Love Our Schools Day doesn’t happen by accident. It grows out of relationships, planning, and the courage to say, We can’t do this alone, and we don’t have to.
If you’re a community leader, a business owner, a faith community, or a nonprofit looking to make a real difference for kids, this is your invitation to the table.
Visit loveourschoolsday.com to learn more or fill out an interest form. I’d love to talk about what’s possible for your school or organization.
Because every school deserves walls that tell the story of the students who walked those halls. And every student deserves the chance to leave their mark.