By: Richard L. Smith
After living and working in Newark for many years, including spending more than two decades of my career in education, I thought I knew most of the schools and educational spaces that make this city special. 
This week, however, I walked through the doors of New Jersey Regional Day School on Lyons Avenue for the first time and came away with a greater appreciation for the work being done there and the students and families the school serves.
My visit came just as educators were preparing for the start of another school year, and outside in the school’s courtyard, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Beta Alpha Omega Chapter, were also busy preparing for the students’ return.
Led by chapter Vice President Shelley E. Pettiford., members identified as Devon Crawford, Kayla Williams, Karen Gunthorpe
Sharon Sanders, Ericka King, Sabrina Myers and Lashonda Green
had spent the past several days working to beautify outdoor reading areas, planting flowers around benches and putting the finishing touches on spaces where students will soon be able to step outside, find a book and enjoy some quiet reading time in the fresh air.
I had a chance to sit and speak with Vice President Pettiford who told me the project grew out of the chapter’s continuing work in Newark, Irvington and Hillside and conversations with school administrators about ways Alpha Kappa Alpha could provide meaningful support to students.
At New Jersey Regional Day School, one of those opportunities centered on literacy and making better use of the school’s impressive outdoor courtyard.
The chapter had previously brought an outdoor lending library to the school, similar to the small neighborhood libraries where someone can take a book or leave one for another reader.
The Beta Alpha Omega chapter awards more than $70,000 dollars a year in scholarships and is committed to educational initiatives, family programs and other service projects throughout the community they serve.
Members returned last week to complete the surrounding area, including painting, planting flowers and preparing the benches and reading spaces before students return.
The setting itself is something I wasn’t expecting when I arrived.
Behind the school is a spacious courtyard that includes a walking trail and areas where students can spend time outdoors away from the traditional classroom environment. 
The addition of designated reading areas gives students another way to enjoy that space while encouraging them to pick up a book during recess or other outdoor periods.
I’ve learned that New Jersey Regional Day School has been serving students in Newark since 1983 and provides specialized educational programming for children and young adults ages 5 through 21 with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental challenges.
Its programs combine functional academics with communication and social development, related therapies, life skills and other services intended to help students reach their fullest potential.
Having spent so many years in education myself, I found the visit particularly meaningful.
It was encouraging to return to an educational setting in Newark and see firsthand that good work continues every day in these buildings, often without much public attention.
The same can be said about the work of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
The Beta Alpha Omega Chapter participates in scholarships, educational initiatives, family programs and other service projects throughout its communities.
Led by chapter President Annette Harrell Vick, Beta Alpha Omega was chartered in 1934, Beta Alpha Omega was the first Alpha Kappa Alpha graduate chapter established in New Jersey and has spent more than nine decades serving Newark, Irvington, Hillside and other communities throughout NJ.
That history is important because there can sometimes be a perception that Greek-letter organizations are primarily associated with the college experience.
Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded at Howard University in 1908 and became the first historically Black sorority in the United States. More than a century later, chapters across the country continue carrying out service projects in the communities where their members live and work.
What I saw at New Jersey Regional Day School was one local example of that much larger tradition.
There was nothing overly complicated about the project. The ladies were simply putting in the work—planting flowers, preparing the grounds, tending to the little library and making sure the reading areas looked welcoming before students returned.
But sometimes that’s exactly what meaningful community service looks like.
When those students return to school and eventually make their way into the courtyard, they will have a place where they can walk the trail, spend some time outdoors, choose a book and sit down to read in an area someone took the time to prepare specifically for them.
For me, returning to a Newark educational setting and watching it all come together was a reminder that while we frequently hear about the challenges confronting public education, there are also many positive things happening inside and outside our schools that deserve attention.
Teachers and staff are preparing to welcome their students back, schools such as New Jersey Regional Day continue providing critical services to children and families, and community organizations continue finding ways to contribute.
This week, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Beta Alpha Omega Chapter, were among those doing their part.