CANTERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) – Back in the classroom and the community. You know school is in session in Canterbury when students are giving back.

“We’re washing the trucks for the firehouse,” eighth-grader Tenley Stimson said.

“We are plucking the fields for community service day because they were really weedy so we had to pluck them today,” sixth-grader Abigail Byer explained.

It’s the Dr. Helen Baldwin Middle School’s Day of Service. Students are split up into groups around town giving back to the community that supports them year round.

School leaders see this as a dual opportunity.

“It’s also an opportunity for students to learn about some of the real world things around them and give them authentic experiences they might not get otherwise,” Principal Garrett Dukette said.

From painting and coloring to assisting where needed, students have fun starting the school year like this.

“It’s fun. we get to go around and meet new people. I’ve never been to the firehouse before so we get to meet these guys and hang out with all of our friends and stuff,” eighth-grader Ruby Noel explained.