Community Service

Village School is committed to being a part of the larger world community. Therefore, community service is an ongoing and integral part of the Village School experience.

Projects often involve the entire school population and can be initiated by Student Council, a particular grade level, parents through the very active Village School Parent Association Community Service Committee or by the extraordinary Children For Community Service group.

It is gratifying to observe generosity abound as students bring coins during a Penny Power Drive, or donate food, clothing and toys for needy families, or work together to clean the beach or a local part, or entertain senior citizens at a retirement residence. The ongoing relationship with Westwood Transitional Village provides an opportunity for the whole family to be involved – whether by giving to the Thanksgiving Food Drive or participating in the Adopt-A Family Program during the winter holiday season.

Village School students appreciate their sense of community at school and they view service outside of school as their responsibility. Children come to understand that their caring, thoughtful gestures of generosity can make a difference and, therefore, they see themselves as part of a larger world community.

Children For Community Service

Children for Community Service comprised of two groups of students – TK through third graders and fourth through sixth graders – who have expressed an interest in taking a leadership role with community service. The groups are lead by parent volunteers and they meet regularly after school. This is a voluntary endeavor, and every child is welcome to join the group. The meetings provide an opportunity for students to brainstorm, plan and complete projects to benefit our greater community.

In the last two years, the committee collected 1,400 books for needy school children, helped implement the Thanksgiving Food Drive, organized a delightful holiday party for families of Westwood Transitional Village, traveled to St. Joseph’s Center to spread Valentine’s Day love to underprivileged preschoolers, sorted food for local food banks, sold student-made bookmarks to at our local Farmers’ Market to benefit a medical clinic in Darfur and participated in a Helping Hand Hike, which raised almost $3,000.00 to be used to purchase school supplies for an educational center in the Sudan.

Projects generated by Children for Community Service stem from the children’s interest and ideas, and when they have been completed, there is an opportunity to reflect on what they have accomplished. It is service learning at its best. The children are the leaders who bring these ideas to the entire school community for support, and the lessons learned certainly have a lasting impact on the participants.