Middle School Service Learning
The WCDS Code of Conduct encourages students to serve others. Our Middle School Wildcats strive to develop that skill daily in small ways like cleaning up after break and lunch. They also have the opportunity to serve others in a more focused manner during our Service Learning days.
Each quarter, students visit local sites to practice their skills in serving others with opportunities to problem-solve while caring for others. While some of the opportunities moderately take students outside of their comfort zone, they benefit students by building independence, competence and responsibility. Students complete a pre-service and post-service reflection piece to help them contemplate their experience.
During our first service-learning day this year, students received an introduction to the group they’ll be working with this year, completed their pre-service reflection, and then dove into their activities.
While pandemic restrictions have limited us from visiting these sites, we have cultivated our creativity to provide activities on campus in which students collaborate virtually and create tangible treasures to share with the agencies.
- Two groups “adopted” a classroom from Northwood Elementary School to collaborate with virtually until we can return in person. Students created Virtual Storytime Videos to share with the first and fourth-grade classrooms (Aubrey Shores is videoing her storytime below).
- Two groups created healthy Halloween-themed snack kits (pumpkin oranges and peaches and string cheese ghosts) to deliver to the YWCA for the students who attend their after-school program.
- One group painted fall-themed cards for residents of Westchester Manor.
- One group made blankets and pillows for residents of Westchester Harbour (Madelyn Carroll stuffs a pillow in the photo below).
- Another group practiced service to our school community by creating Halloween-themed care packages for our most recent alumni; they even got to Zoom with a few of them (Coleman Schwartz and Whit Hauser are seen decorating the boxes below).
- Another group wrote letters to local veterans, as well as those at the Heroe’s Center of High Point.
- One group learned about the Junior League of High Point and then created virtual storytime videos to assist in their efforts to promote childhood literacy.
- The last group weaved recycled grocery bags together to make a sleeping mat for clients of Open Door Ministries (Anderson Carter and Wilson Caddy are seen weaving below).
By Mary Keever
Head of Middle School
