School News: Younger Students Join Service Learning Experiences

Spring 2020

For very young learners, much of their world has consisted of playgrounds and backyards but helping them understand that they are part of a community—one that is much larger than their classrooms and homes—is an ongoing process. Being in unfamiliar environments can be challenging for students, but it helps them practice social-emotional skills such as patience and self-control. At Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (GA), preschoolers and kindergartners have participated in community service activities for six years. For the 2019–2020 school year, pre-K 4 students joined their pre-K 5 and kindergarten peers for the first time on off-campus service trips
Kindergarteners at the conclusion of a litter pickup at Chastain Park./Photos courtesy of Holy Innocents' Episcopal School

Service learning at the school is based on the research of psychologist Carol Dweck and is aimed at cultivating what she describes as an openness to new experiences. This year, students are visiting local parks to assist in cleaning up litter. These service experiences also allow them to develop empathy and kindness and speak directly to the school’s mission of developing “a love of learning, respect for self and others, faith in God, and a sense of service to the world community.”

A kindergartener visits with a resident at Mt. Vernon Towers senior care facility. 

The school’s traditions include monthly visits to a local senior care facility to converse and color with residents. Pre-K students have joined to trick-or-treat in the facility’s dining room on Halloween and perform Christmas musical programs.

School leadership is looking at ways to include pre-K 3 students in these service opportunities next school year.

 

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