Developing Leaders Through Service-Learning

Integrated into our school’s curriculum are lessons and opportunities for service-learning, which allow our students to grow as leaders while giving back to a greater cause. Service-learning experiences also connect us to our Holy Child Goals, particularly goals 4, 5, and 6, which are centered around compassion, community, and personal growth. One organization that our school has partnered with for over 10 years is the Patrician Society, which is the largest emergency food cupboard in Montgomery County. Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, our school has taken part in many service-learning projects centered around donating and making food to benefit the economically disadvantaged people in our community who are supported by the Patrician Society, including:

• Our Thanksgiving food drive, led by our Lower and Middle School Student Council and supported by our entire Holy Child community;

• Our annual Service Day, which brought together Buddies for a sandwich-making activity, followed by a student-led carnival where proceeds were donated to four Middle-School-selected charities, including the Patrician Society; and

• New this year, a Middle School elective called Caring and Creating for a Cause that made many meals and hosted various fundraisers to give back to the food pantry.

The common theme among these service-learning experiences is providing our children, especially Middle School students, with the chance to develop as leaders. Working collaboratively toward a shared goal and supporting others along the way allows our children to take action with compassion for those with greater needs in our region.