Upper School Service Week 2024
April 11, 2024
In 2010, a group of Shorecrest students initiated the commitment to spending time during the school year in a Mission-focused service learning program. Since then a week of the second semester in Upper School has been dedicated as Service Week, aimed at assisting local and national community members in need. Many Shorecrest Upper School students and faculty members were providing hands-on support to others this week during 2024 Service Week.
Some benefits of Service Week were explained by Shorecrest Class of 2023 Valedictorian Dylan Winer:
"Service week is one of the few times at Shorecrest when academics take a backseat and students can focus solely on improving our community. This week of service helps students discover a passion for service while gaining knowledge and compassion towards the world and people in it. The opportunity to go out into the world for the purpose of public service also gives students an opportunity to develop their Core Values and become better citizens. These experiences give students the opportunity to further develop their sense of empathy, compassion, and awareness of what is going on in the world around them. Students can dive deep into helping our community in ways that otherwise would not be possible. From food assistance to building houses, Shorecrest strives to give back to the community and teach students the values of being a good citizen. It is a tradition at Shorecrest that has greatly impacted the students and community."
Some of the places Chargers helped others this week included:
Pinellas County beaches, Empath Health, Feeding Tampa Bay, Goodwill Industries, Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, The Kind Mouse, St. Pete Youth Farm, CASA, the Oglala Lakota Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and more.
Head of Upper School Erich Schneider and Stacy Alexander, Assistant Dean of Student Life, led Shorecrest's 10th trip with students living in tents in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. "We are working with the maintenance staff to prepare, clean, maintain and repair campsites," Erich reported. "I am proud to say that the staff at the park always look forward to our return as we provide much needed help to the understaffed maintenance crew. We always leave them impressed by the quantity and quality of our work and for the wonderful attitudes of our students."
The student-led initiative to create Service Week continues to remain anchored in fostering relationship-building, understanding social responsibility, and living out our Core Values. Mr. Schneider asserts, "The important work we do for our community and beyond allows us to live out the Shorecrest Core Values: Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Knowledge, and Compassion. Regardless of their project, our students grow from their experiences and learn about issues that impact us all. The bonding between our participants and chaperones both on the job and when we have down time crosses different grade levels and generations."
Flickr album: Service Week 2024 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin
