As the cold morning began, students from the Sociology of Community Service class volunteered for the Scarecrow Festival at the Shawnee city hall on Saturday Oct. 4.

The Scarecrow Festival is a family-friendly, city-held event with a farmers market and stations for kids to build their own scarecrow and paint pumpkins.

“The city puts it on every year,” Sociology of Community Service teacher, Cory Wurtz said. “We haven’t done it every year, but the city contacts us consistently with events to help out with.”

Senior Abby Taylor, one of many students at the event, said that the children at the festival enjoyed working with students.

“[We got to] hand out pumpkins to the little kids,” Taylor said. “They would be so happy because they got their own pumpkins that they got to decorate.”

Besides doing the Scarecrow Festival, the class is constantly getting involved with the community.

“There is almost a community service event that [we] can do out of school every week,” Taylor said.

Getting out so often to do community service has it benefits according to Taylor.

“[For] my daily commitment I go to Horizon Elementary and help a first grade class,” Taylor said. “The most rewarding part is knowing that I am a good influence on the them. I see them outside of school and they get so excited that I know them by name and that they have me as a high school friend.