Service-based Learning
The Middle School’s service-based learning program focuses on building an awareness of the needs and plights of others, as well as giving back to the school and community. The formal program, coordinated by grade level, provides service opportunities for all students in grades 6-8. Service-based learning at this level instills strong character and encourages independent thinking and self-confidence.
Examples of community service activities appropriate for students in the pre-teen and early teenage years include volunteering time and labor, raising funds or materials to support a project, and assuming a responsibility to serve others. Activities include group projects in which all students are involved, as well as those requiring smaller group or individual support. The school arranges many opportunities for students to get involved in community service efforts.
Middle School students are involved in various community projects as members of the Kiwanis Builders Club. Examples of projects include conducting food and supply drives for the needy, organizing fundraisers to support community projects, caroling at senior citizen homes, and reading to young children as part of the Reading is Fundamental program. In addition, sixth graders participate in Safe Sitter, a program that teaches them the skills necessary for child care, as well as how to handle emergencies in the home.
Parents may become involved in their child’s community service projects by suggesting service opportunities and assisting the school with the logistics of arranging these opportunities.