Nurturing Generous Spirits

Nurturing generous spirits is a priority at Wesley Prep. We are mindful of creating space for our students to be aware of and to address the needs of others. We begin by focusing students ' attention on the needs of family members and classmates, and as our students grow older, their circles of influence expand accordingly. Our upper grade students have younger buddy classes and our 6th graders serve as the school' s student council, advocating for the needs of all Panthers. Along with our generosity towards those in our family and school community, we are eager to offer opportunities to stretch our spirits out into our city. Projects & Partners Thanksgiving Food Drive Christmas Drive Blessing Bags for Austin Street Shelter, The Birthday Party Project, and Wesley Rankin Community Center

THE COMMON GROUND EXPERIMENT

In addition to school-wide projects, Wesley Prep 4th graders engage in The Common Ground Experiment, a yearlong opportunity to build relationships through creative collaboration with members of the community who have different life experiences than our own. In the past, 4th graders have worked with friends experiencing homelessness at Austin Street Shelter, recently resettled refugees at Heart House, and those interning at Cafe Momentum and working at Bonton Farms. What we learn about and from our neighbors is invaluable, and our children lead the way in making authentic connections as they create something alongside new friends. The openness of our students paves the way for the adults to build connections, too. This year, our 4th grade partnered with Wesley Rankin Community Center. Initial challenges presented by Covid forced the students to build relationships through letters and video messages, but students were eventually able to initiate a community garden project with WRCC as well as fund the effort through t-shirt sales and being awarded two grants. The community garden will eliminate property taxes on the property for the agency and will provide a valuable food resource for families in the area. We look forward to continuing to Phase 2 of the project and increasing the impact of the collaboration.