Why We Serve - Why We Give
Source/Author: Mike Murphy, Headmaster
December 08, 2017
Development of a commitment to social responsibility is a key component to the Shorecrest Mission Statement.
What does that mean to you? What does it mean to your children?
What does that mean to you? What does it mean to your children?
There are parents, guardians, faculty, staff, grandparents, and alumni who have committed time, talent and resources to make Shorecrest a great educational experience for current and future students. Many adults let their social responsibility start in their hometowns. Support for schools, places of worship, shelters, food banks, hospitals, museums, theatres and other non-profit organizations is important for the short and long term health of a community.
When our children see the adults in their lives involved with community organizations they are more inclined to be involved themselves. Shorecrest is one of few schools that is so committed to social responsibility as a core element of its mission, that we employ a full-time Director of Service Learning. Diego Duran-Medina is committed to providing students and teachers of all ages with opportunities to support local, national and international organizations that serve people, causes and environments.
The learning element of Service Learning is often the forgotten element of a service activity. We believe that when children have a broader and deeper understanding of how their actions and philanthropy impact people, causes and environments, they are more likely to develop a long-term commitment to the service.
Every year, the Shorecrest community rallies to support the Guardian ad Litem program and foster children in December, the American Cancer Society and Relay For Life in the spring, and local food banks throughout the school year. These school-wide and long-running service endeavors allow all members of our school community to connect to the broader community. We are in the midst of our annual Holiday Gift Drive for foster children supported by the Guardian ad Litem program. As always, seeing gifts being dropped off is very gratifying. The generosity of the collective community is very special.
More and more we are seeing classes take on service projects that are aligned with what is being examined in the curriculum. These projects often allow our younger students to collaborate with their older schoolmates. They also increase the level of appreciation children of all ages have for each other.
We strive to provide students with the opportunity to learn how to lead their own service programs. We know they are capable of embracing an issue, gathering peers to work with them, and then gathering and organizing the resources necessary to address the need they want to address. We also offer a class focused on civics, leadership, and service for our Upper School students, where they can develop the skills necessary to lead projects with support from adults. In the coming years, we expect that our Upper School students will increasingly take over the design and projects that are addressed during Service Week.
I appreciate the modeling that Diego, the faculty, and the adults in our community share with our students. I appreciate our student leaders who support service organizations around our community, state, nation, and world. The generosity of spirit, time, and talent reinforces our efforts to build a community that embraces Shorecrest’s five Core Values with a special emphasis on Integrity and Compassion.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Mike
