On Monday morning, the entire Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School student body fanned out across the Island for the first Islanders Give Back Day — a chance to spend the day doing community service in lieu of classes at one of about 45 sites.

In the great hall at the Center for Living, students sat side by side in a circle with Island elders. Center for Living special assistant Janice Rose facilitated conversation, asking if any students would like to dance or sing for the group. Junior Anna Nitardy performed part of a dance piece called Uncharted Melody that she has been working on at Rise Vineyard Performing Arts. Soon other students joined in.

“I feel like I want to sing a song,” sophomore Joshua Sampaio said. “Do you guys like Michael Jackson?”

Classes were suspended for the day while the students spent the morning in the community. — Mark Alan Lovewell

He cued up the song Thriller and grinned as he performed the classic dance.

“Show us your moonwalk!” Ms. Rose said.

Center for Living executive director Leslie Clapp looked on, beaming.

“Can’t they come every week?” she said. “They bring energy, they bring something new. They draw people out, it’s just fabulous.”

She pointed to one elder in particular who smiled widely as she followed the dances with her eyes.

“She’s really brightening from this,” she said.

The idea for the give back day has its origins in Ena Thulin’s global politics and civics class. Juniors Gus Hoy and Andrew Karlinsky took the lead organizing the event, visiting sites ahead of time to prepare.

Classes were suspended for the day while the students spent the morning in the community. Students visited Morning Glory Farm, cleaned up the beach in Menemsha, and visited Island elementary schools among other sites. Afterwards, they would reunite at the high school for a lunch sponsored by Island vendors.

At Owen Park, students took a break on the swings before getting down to the business of picking up litter. Senior Evelyn Higgins said she loved having the opportunity to do some community service before she graduates next month.

“We should give back because the community, environment, and school have done so much for us,” she said. She helped choose Owen Park as a give back day destination because she loves spending time there.

“This is my favorite place to be in the summer. You can hear the birds and look at the ocean,” she said.

Sprucing up the yard at Grace Church. — Mark Alan Lovewell

At Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven, students planted flowers, raked leaves, and sorted through old toys.

Leslie Frizzell, who runs alternative programs after school, said her group of students had a discussion about service before leaving for the day.

“We talked about how community service is often associated with punishment, and how to break out of that,” she said.

She added that students were interested in incorporating more service into their education, potentially using morning flex time to brainstorm more outings.

The students in her group said it was a time for getting to know each other as well as learning about community organizations.

“It’s cool to see the entire school organize,” said sophomore Tripp Hopkins.

Sophomore Ashley Briggs worked nearby.

“It’s a great idea,” she said. “We should do it every year.”