At Nashoba Tech, service isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a major part of every student’s high-school career.

It’s right there in the mission statement: “The school strives to promote citizenship through a safe and inclusive atmosphere encouraging a diverse population of students to become positive and productive members of the community.”

Toward that goal, Nashoba Tech held its second annual Day of Service on October 2, when all 222 freshmen were required to work at one of nine sites.

The Day of Service is the brainchild of Vocational/Technical Coordinator Kate Hawkins, who said it’s a great way to initiate freshmen into the joys of helping their community. It also gets them started on the requirement that every Nashoba Tech student must perform at least 20 hours of community service during their four years.

“It’s near and dear to my heart to always give back and to teach students about that right from the beginning,” Hawkins said. “This gives the freshmen an idea

of what community service is and what a wonderful feeling it is, and hopefully spurs them into continuing to do community service.

“The kids loved it last year,” she added. “It’s been well-received by the parents, too. They think it’s a great thing for the students.”

The nine sites students worked at are:

* Community Harvest Project, Grafton

* Community Harvest Project, Harvard

* The Food Project, Lincoln

* Westford Conservation Trust

* Hill Orchard, Westford

* Fredonian Park, Shirley

* Mass Audubon at Drumlin Farm, Lincoln

* Habitat for Humanity, Ayer

* Nashoba Tech Campus.