Students filled Nichols Hall earlier today for this year’s Service Fair, where student-run organizations, as well as representatives of local and national organizations, answered questions about the many community service opportunities available. Mainstays including Harker’s Key Club and National Honor Society were present, as were organizations such as MusiCodes, which utilizes the arts as a means to teach and foster interest in computer science among local youth.

“We wanted a way to combine the two, because we think it’s much easier to code and form associations with it if you introduce a musical aspect,” said junior Michelle Si, a MusiCodes co-founder. Participants in MusiCodes workshops build small pianos, which Si said is “more engaging because it’s hands-on, but also the kids really enjoy it because it’s something that they’re very familiar with.” In the past year, MusiCodes has expanded its reach to include at-risk and foster youth.

Another participating organization, New Visions of Tomorrow, founded in 2013 and run by students from several area schools, works with visually impaired youth in the area. “We do fundraising as well as enrichment activities and we work very closely with Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired,” said senior Jin Tuan, a co-president of the organization. Members of the organization have hosted art workshops and museum visits and have volunteered at local sporting events to raise funds for the Vista Center.