Service Learning

Success isn’t merely a personal thing that you keep all to yourself. To be successful, you have to interact with your community, environment, and be aware of the world around you.

The Middle School Community Service Program provides students with meaningful opportunities to develop and nurture a sense of civic responsibility, as they serve others through structured, informative, and reflective experiences. These experiences enable students to develop an appreciation and acceptance of others, a better understanding of the human condition, a desire for social justice, and awareness of local, regional, and global diversity.

Teachers in the Middle School are highly encouraged, and assisted, to implement service projects that enhance their current curriculum, and each year the students are involved in division wide service projects as well. These projects vary each year based on the direction of the curriculum and current events. Advisory groups complete service projects that connect to our themes, and serve people inside and outside the school community. In past years, some of these activities have included the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Adopt-a-Family during the holiday season, and tsunami relief efforts.

 

Upcoming Events and Highlights

  • All School Service Day – Sunday, May 3

    Members of our K-12 Brentwood Community came out to support Stoner Avenue Elementary School and work in partnership with City Year, a non-profit organization whose mission is to build democracy through citizen service, civic leadership, and social entrepreneurship. Parent and student volunteers of all ages painted murals, blacktops, and other items to beautify and enhance the school’s campus. Principal Jim Stapleton shared how much this day meant to him and how important it was that his students value and appreciate their campus.

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  • Middle School Art Work Honors Veterans

    Representatives of the West Los Angeles VA’s local Fisher House Foundation will have a gorgeous display of student artwork in the lobby of the Wadsworth Theatre when the band America performs a concert for veterans and their families this weekend, thanks to our Middle School students. The 10x5 foot mural depicts an American flag comprised many individual paintings created in Nell Cox and Ignacio Gonzalez's art classes. Using a Google image of an American Flag, students enlarged the flag to banner size and then divided into squares, one for each student in the class. Each student was asked to recreate their section, paying attention to color and various shades of red, white, and, blue. A lesson on shades of color and their effect in art was presented and students used this technique in their square. Read more on the MART Blog! The mural was on display during the Middle and Upper School Assembly on Thursday. Learn more about the Fisher House Foundation at www.greaterlafisherhouse.org

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  • Operation Gratitude – 8th Grade Service Trip, October 16, 2012

    As Dr. Mike shared in last week’s Newsletter, the Middle School is intentionally looking at the six core values through various lenses specific to each grade. Having a refocused advisory program that intentionally looks at Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Caring, and Community through the 8th Grade theme of Leadership provides an added foundation for service learning..

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