Community Engaged Learning
Through Community Engaged Learning (CEL), we create opportunities for our students to know themselves, build their skills, and understand the needs and assets of their community. Over time, they will be better equipped to contribute to their school, city and world intentionally and with impact.
CEL’s three approaches – service learning, community-based educational experiences, and community service – are crucial to a well-rounded education in the 21st century.
Service learning is learning with deep curricular ties and reflection that addresses an authentic community need or issue. Community-based educational experiences is learning in which students work in and for community partners, gain real world experience and contribute through research or use of skills and knowledge. Community service is learning that occurs outside the curriculum and is focused on serving an authentic community need or issue. Through any of these approaches, students can examine and serve to improve key issues like hunger, shelter, education, the environment, and health.
Please email Amy Kerr if you have any CEL proposals.
Community Engaged Learning at Park Tudor
Lower School
The Lower School works with the assistance of Upper Schoolers each year to design and make capes for children at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent through the Capes for Kids program. Throughout the year, students work on this project to lift the spirits of the children battling serious illness at the hospital.
Middle School
Each year, Park Tudor 8th graders study a pressing social issue (such as water scarcity or hunger) and develop an action project as part of Orchard's IMAGINE state-wide middle school program. These leaders also teach their 8th grade peers about the issue and, in turn, all the students facilitate educational hands-on activities during their spring Expo for 2nd grade students from Avondale Meadows Academy.
Upper School
Beginning in 2014-2015, Upper School biology students and the environmental club have worked to help save migratory monarch butterflies. Butterfly populations have been dwindling because the butterflies primarily feed on milkweed, which has largely been eradicated on commercial farms. To help the cause, students have planted milkweed in various locations all over campus, and have made milkweed plants available to other Indianapolis residents to plant on their land, and have conducted various initiatives to publicize the plight of monarch butterflies around campus and beyond.
Key Principles of Community Engaged Learning
Student Growth: We believe the development of character and a focus on foundational skills are essential elements of a great education. Moreover, we believe that exceptional educators make learning authentic by utilizing rigorous experiential and interdisciplinary approaches to help students make connections and apply their knowledge and skills in the broader community. Skills like collaboration, problem solving, creativity and flexibility prepare students to thrive as citizens in our complex world.
Multiple Lenses: As a school community committed to the inherent value of all people, we believe that part of a great education is multiplying the lenses through which students view their world. Well-designed and intentional community engagement helps build empathy and enrich students’ broader understanding of themselves and others. Empathy and a global perspective are essential for students’ leadership development, civic engagement and care for their world.
Mutual Benefit: We believe that partnerships between schools and community organizations must meet real needs and be based on mutual benefit. Through partnerships with local and international organizations, school communities can work with a diverse group of people to address key issues and challenges of our time. We recognize that these partnerships must be financially and organizationally sustainable and built over time.
The Common Good: We believe schools advance the common good by helping their students, faculty, staff, families and alumni make connections and contributions to their community and understand better the pressing needs of the world.