Building up our community and serving those around us provide some of the best real-life contexts for learning and growing. During each term, we look for ways to make our learning and projects centered in our community. Sometimes this is as simple as finding ways to beautify nature during field trips and recess, making cards for the lonely, or building display-worthy dioramas that then go on to be viewed at the public library. We also find opportunities for students to serve and mentor each other.
Each year, students raise money via the Entrepreneur celebration for our Service Week activities that happen in February where we partner with organizations like Days for Girls, Utah Refugee Connection, and Bountiful Food Pantry, to name a few.
During our 2022 Middle East term, students were able to contribute to ongoing and timely Afghanistan refugee projects. Students participated in projects like making stuffed toys, blankets, and furniture to be delivered abroad or to help people settle in new Utah apartments. We also held a film screening about refugees that coincided with a collection drive to make kitchen/apartment supply kits for refugees in need. Through donations and funds raised, we were able to deliver 122 kits.
Our 2023 Service Week was pretty special. It was great to see kids grow in empathy, learn new skills, make something with conscientiousness and pride, and to give and grow. Besides a good-sized donation to some area food pantries, cookies to local police and firemen, and almost 100 cards to local service workers, kids in hospitals, and people on hospice, we also reached out to specific organizations to help them with their needs, including Ogden Weber Community Action (meal kits, literacy kits, and Accidents Happen kits), Utah Refugee Connection (laundry kits and together time kits), United Way Utah, Children’s Justice Center (student-made stuffed animals and personalized water bottles), Encompass Health Hospice, Tiny Tim’s Toy Workshop, and Layton Heritage Museum.