Libraries, dogs and care centers all have something in common. They were community learning projects for the sixth- through eighth-graders at the Colby School.

Each student was required to devote 10 hours of service to a non-profit organization and 10 hours to Colby.

In the past, the project has only included the 10 hours of service for the school, but was changed this year by teacher Skye Shelton.

"Our school is community based, I thought it would be a great opportunity for kids to take more of a leadership position in their community," she said.

She said that many of the students performed beyond expectations and accumulated over 10 hours with their chosen organization. Shelton added it was a valuable learning opportunity because it taught them resilience after being turned down by places they approached and also improved their connections with adults.

"I think it helped their self- esteem," she said.

Kellie McManus volunteered at the Rocky Mountain Care Center. As she presented her poster she explained there were no photographs of actual center residents because of privacy rights.

During her time there, McManus helped women paint their nails, read to the blind, decorate Easter eggs and play Bingo.

"These people really enjoy visitors and I was sad when I had to leave," she said.

She also showed a video demonstrating the various tasks she did at the center, and was assisted by her mother who was dressed up as a Rocky Mountain Care Center resident.

"(It) really helped me with my shyness and it helped me get over my fear of old people," McManus said.

For the Colby School she folded clothes, cleaned windows, planted seeds and helped organize book shelves.

Chance Wilson volunteered his time at the Kimball Arts Center and made a poster shaped like an artist’s easel. There he assembled events packets, swept and addressed envelopes for mailings.

He said a lot of their class offerings impressed him and he hopes to take an upcoming pottery class.

Carla Sosa worked for 10 hours at the Park City Library; she went there every day after school until her hours were completed. For the Colby School, Sosa read to the kindergarteners in Spanish and said they enjoyed it.

Jamie Lavendar volunteered for Furburbia where she said she had a strong connection with the cats. She helped clean cages and walk the dogs, and has accumulated 37 hours of service with the organization. Her presentation included a history of Furburbia and included pointers on how to take care of pets.

Skylar Golman, who also volunteered at the library, said she helped with the story time.

"I learned a lot about working with other children and the planning that goes into story time."

David Nelson, who gave his time to the Rocky Mountain Care Center, encouraged others to volunteer there to keep the residents company because they don’t have a lot to do.

"Every time I went there, all the people were happy to see me," he said.