ISSUED: 24 March 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shepherd University once again was unable to offer its full Alternative Spring Break program where students travel to volunteer in a community in need. A scaled-down local Alternative Spring Break, however, gave some students the opportunity to put in community service hours volunteering at the Shepherd University Agricultural Innovation Center at Tabler Farm. On March 20, seven students helped remove debris such as metal, tires, glass, and plastic from the farm and painted the gates at the entrance to the property to match the official Shepherd University Tabler Farm sign.
“With the pandemic, we wanted to give students the opportunity to safely participate in service, so we sent out an interest survey and some of the students wanted to participate at Tabler Farm,” said Danielle Stephenson of Charles Town, a graduate assistant for student community service.
Aside from Stephenson, students who participated include Conner McManus, a computer and information sciences major from Falling Waters; William Prudnick, a chemistry major, and Kaylee Uppercue, a secondary education major, both from Martinsburg; Julia Shroades, a business administration major from Inwood; Veronica McDade, an M.B.A. student from Clarksburg, Maryland; and Ilse Luna, a nursing major from Mexico.
“It was wonderful getting to spend time cleaning and beautifying a part of our campus,” McDade said. “I see great potential in Tabler Farm and see it becoming an integral part of our community, and I’m honored to have been part of that process.”
“More than anything, I was surprised by what we found during the cleanup—tire irons, welcome mats, beer cans from defunct breweries, lead-acid batteries, and things so decayed they couldn’t be identified,” Prudnick said. “I was pleased to do my part and help clean up Tabler Farm and create a cleaner and safer environment for the campus community.”
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