Officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station were among the many organizations on hand at Santa Clarita Elementary School Thursday to teach students about their role in the community.

The event is designed to give elementary school students the opportunity to learn about what different types of services are offered in Santa Clarita.

“Community Helper Day ignites a spark in the children that I couldn’t do for them,” said kindergarten teacher Shari Lewis. “The hands on learning takes the experience further. It provides the kids with a connection between school and the outside world.”

Community Helper Day has been held at Santa Clarita Elementary for more than a decade and each year has grown, attracting more community services professionals to participate.

The event included 14 different community helper stations, and each station represented a different community service.

Community helpers included the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, Los Angeles Police Department, Santa Clarita Graffiti Task Force, emergency medical technicians, Santa Clarita Transit, a crossing guard, girls scouts, a registered nurse and a dentist.

This year included the addition of Animal Control, a postmaster and a local artist, Lewis said.

Each community helper gave an approximate eight minute presentation about the services they provide and offered some practical tips and advice that students could use in the real world.

While sheriff and fire officials answered questions about equipment and even let the students climb into their vehicles, the graffiti task force drew on the ground with chalk and showed students how to remove the drawings with a pressurized water hose.

“We link what we do in school to the community so that students are able to see that all the theories that they learn have practical applications in real life,” said Santa Clarita Elementary School Principal Theophane Korie.

“This is a partnership between the school and the community and that is something that we are encouraging,” Korie said.

After each presentation, students heard a whistle that notified them to move to the next station, with one of the stations set aside for snacks.

“I learned that brushing our teeth is good for our teeth so we don’t get cavities,” said six-year-old Makayla Sutton.

During the event, students learned lessons that will continue to be valuable into adulthood.

“I learned that hearts have these tubes and if you eat too much candy, all of the tubes could get plugged,” said six-year-old Wesley Wilson.