Community and service starts in the classroom and extends
beyond it, requiring students to take an active part in the communities
in which they live.
Why is Community and Service important?
- Provides students with opportunities for helping the school, local, and international communities.
- Develops an awareness to make a positive difference in the life of others
- Encourages responsible citizenship by increasing students understanding of the world.
- Allows the student to discover new skills, talents, and interests.
What constitutes Community Service?
Service is an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit. Community service should involve:
1.Real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
2.Reflection on outcomes and personal learning
3.Personal challenge-tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope
4.Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, and reporting
Students
should strive to find a variety of community-service activities in
order to broaden their horizons. The idea is to find a way to help
others, especially someone who is less fortunate than you are. It is an
act that stresses the idea that it is better to give than receive.
Helping the environment or a community area is community service.
Activities that support local, state, regional, and international
activities are also encouraged.
Expectations of Community & Service
As
community and service is such an integral component of the
International Baccalaureate experience, it is expected that students
participate and reflect on as many meaningful experiences as possible
each year in the program.
Opportunities & Examples
Students
in grades 6 through 10 will have opportunities through their classroom
to volunteer for different community and service opportunities. Students
are encouraged to participate outside of the school day as well.
The
past school year students have volunteered at the Flood Recovery
Center, Haiti Walk, 5K Wounded Warrior and Take Back the Night angel
walk. Students have participated in community and service through
donating to the migrant families, family Christmas program through
Family Service Association, sent supplies to an orphanage in India,
making bookmarks for schools, raised money for Education Foundation
through a 5K, raised money to buy a foot-powered water pump for a
village in Africa and many other things.