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AN EPISCOPAL SCHOOL IS FOUNDED ON LOVE
This is not a peculiarly Anglican idea but so fundamental to the Christian view that it can be overlooked. Love for students, for their value as children of God, for their unique gifts, must undergird everything we do. We must act out of love, teach love, model love, and love one another in our community above all else, or all will be meaningless.
This suggests that an Episcopal school should make a concern for society a part of its program. The school will help students to understand that they do not exist apart from society, that society’s issues are their issues, and that they are called to respond to the needs of others. Students will be encouraged not just to share what they have with others but to understand the issues and complexities of society and to consider what their individual and corporate responsibilities are and to take action.[1]
LOWER SCHOOL
We want to focus on people, how we are connected and how even the youngest child can help
As our Lower School children find themselves in the midst of such an incredible time of learning and discovery, we hope to also teach them how deeply they are connected to others and the world around them—and not only how we might help, but what we might learn in the process. We want them to begin to cultivate a sense of belonging and responsibility to the world outside our school. One thing we always want to teach our youngest students, through opportunity and example, is that they are never too young to reach out in service and love to those around them.
Quotes from LS students
-on delivering school supplies they collected to another school
“It felt good because I knew all of them probably didn’t have all the supplies that they needed.”
“I liked it because I got to help out a different school.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL
We focus on community and respect so that our students will feel connected to each other and the world
Middle School can be a time of increased focus on the self which can be both positive and negative, so we strive to nurture in our students, an awareness of the world around them and their connection to one another. We want to help them realize that their decisions and actions can have a great influence on other people and vice versa. Much of the service in the Middle School is driven by the students. They brainstorm ideas, choose, organize and work with causes and projects that they compel them to act.
Quotes from MS students
“The change I would like to see in the world is more equal opportunities. All people have special talents and abilities, but many are not able to put those gifts into use.”
“In the world, I would like to change the world by helping the poor, the homeless, and the unemployed across the world by donating some of the money I have now to shelters in Baton Rouge and giving to goodwill the stuff that I don't need to people might need it. When I am eligible, I will try to help Habitat for Humanity and build houses for those who need it.”
“I would like to find a way to end world hunger. Sometimes I stay up till 2 in the morning, and I watch some of the paid programing, and then I see some of the hungry kids in other countries, and it’s really sad. So if I had to pick, this would be the change I want to see. I will try to be the change, and be a role model to younger kids. So this wouldn’t happen in their future.”
“I would really like to see swamps being cleaned. For someone to go out there and get all of the alligator weed out of the water for more marine life to live and breathe. I could probably do that myself if I had a whole bunch of other people to help me.”
UPPER SCHOOL
We want to develop leadership skills and broaden student perspectives as a result of service to others
In the Lower and Middle Schools we hope that our students gain an awareness of the world around them and realize they will learn a great deal about the world and about themselves through service. Our Upper School students take that knowledge and that ethic and begin to find their own ways to put it into practice. Students commit to service hours each year, but much of the work that is done in the US, has little to do with compulsion and more to do with compassion. With the guidance of faculty and staff, students create and implement plans that have impacts that reach far beyond our campus. Our US students are learning and developing the leadership skills they will need to make effective change in the world.
Quotes from US students
“Volunteerism is the key to making the world a better place, if we all chip in and do our part there is nothing we can’t achieve.”
“Completing this community service showed me how much volunteering actually helps the community and how much the employees actually appreciated my donation of time to the organization.”
“It is our duty as citizens to do our part in the community by helping others in their time of need. Volunteer work is one of the most important things a citizen can do, and should be required of us all.”
“It has contributed to my understanding of the importance of helping others and helping the community. I have also learned how fun and rewarding it can be to switch my priority focus away from myself and onto others.”
“I think the one memory that made me feel satisfied the most was after we had finished serving and the doors were closed people were banging on the door to let them in so that they could get food. The workers said that they should leave but we all got back in line and served them because we felt it was the right thing to do. If we hadn’t been there, then there would have been no one to serve for the day.”
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