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Middle schoolers make dolls to help comfort children in distress.

Levels Of Engagement

The work we do is designed to develop critical thinking, compassionate action, reciprocal relationships, and ultimately, positive impactful change within the community.

After the formal presentation, we divided into breakout groups by division to gather insight on what a possible new structure of the service learning program might embody. We asked divisions to define their service cultures, the goals they sought for our students as a result of their service work, and the potential barriers that might impact meeting these goals. The session provided great insight to the shared goals we have as a community. It highlighted the necessary work required to shift our students’ perspectives, use our resources more strategically, become a better partner to our local community, and improve how we integrate service work into the classroom.

As we envision the next steps of our Community Service Learning program, we seek to define possible pillars of the program that would provide us with the best framework to achieve our goals. This strategy will help guide us to engage in purposeful service work that contributes to our mission: igniting lives of purpose.

ESD SERVES ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

Eagles of all ages showed up to serve during our third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Service and Conversation Lunch. This year’s theme, ESD’s Beloved Community: Knitting Together Our Garment of Identity, came from a quote from Dr. King’s 1965 address at Oberlin College; “All I’m saying is simply this: that all mankind is tied together, all life is interrelated, and we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of identity,” he said. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what I ought to be until I am what I ought to be – this is the interrelated structure of reality.”

The day began with the service activity of assembling education kits for children and necessities for those impacted by homelessness. A provided lunch and conversation followed.

“MLK Day of Service is a national day of service often deemed a day on and not a day off,” said Courtney Phelps, ESD Director of Community Service Learning. “I am excited to see that so many of our community members chose to be ‘on’ and do the work that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent his life working toward justice for all and building a beloved community.”

Following the all-school event, current ESD eighth graders and new applicants for ninth grade worked together with Children’s Hunger Fund in honor of MLK. The students worked alongside 40 of our upper school student ambassadors and completed more than 2,100 boxes that were used to deliver food and share the Gospel with people in need in the DFW area.

Current and prospective parents also visited with Clark Family Head of Upper School Henry Heil about the transition to upper school from middle school and the attributes he feels are critical to success.

“It was a great way for our current students to get to know prospective members of the Class of 2027 while supporting the ESD’s commitment to service and what Dr. King called us to do. Their service will help so many members of our greater community.”

Cindy Newsom esd director of enrollment management