At C.S. Lewis Academy in Newberg Oregon, high school students spend four days each year serving their community through a variety of activities. Called S.C.O.P. (Student Community Outreach Project), students look forward to each scheduled day throughout the year and work on improving the health of their immediate community.
Brentwood Middle School in Brentwood, Missouri takes a slightly different approach with family and community involvement with the winning practice PIT Crew. These family and community volunteers are welcomed and comprise a committee that takes care of five different areas of need around the school, ranging from coffee talks to room parents to teacher recognition.
The Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Sonora Norte in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, uses mothers of students to connect with other community members in its practice titled Helping the Parents of our Academic Community Foster Character Development through “Red de Educación.” In this practice, mothers reach out to other mothers of school-aged children in their immediate neighborhoods and at home-based gatherings, provide a casual discussion about parental responsibility and character development.
Main Street Elementary School in Lake City, South Carolina created a program called One Village that creates an event allowing parents and community members to partner together to help raise their children. After dinner one evening at the school, parents and business representatives could meet with school staff members from all disciplines to explore how specific partnerships within certain areas of the school could benefit students.
At Shirley Hill Primary School in Mound, Minnesota, students learn the importance of giving back to their community in their practice titled Caring for Our Community. Students select one cause per month to focus on. The causes typically pertain to a situation involving a member of their school or a situation impacting their local community. Read more about how primary school students are taught the importance of giving back on a local level here.
