Featured Story
7th Graders Go Forth to Serve
From MS Humanities teacher Sarah Westerberg:
On June 6, St. Luke’s seventh grade embarked on the large-scale, project-based learning (PBL) 7th Grade Service Day with energy and enthusiasm. After collecting and then filling bags of clothing, shoes, books, games, and non-perishable food items, students set off to deliver them to local nonprofit organizations.
While visiting these locations and organizations, such as Inspirica, Filling in the Blanks, Kids Helping Kids, and Davenport Ridge School, students not only dropped off the various items but took on other tasks. They read stories to younger children, assembled meal packages for children who don’t get enough to eat, spoke with volunteer coordinators, toured facilities, and made cupcakes for a monthly birthday celebration at Inspirica. Students also visited local grocery stores and were given the challenge to figure out how to feed a family of five for the week on a $100 budget.
The groups then sampled diverse ethnic cuisines in our area, including Middle Eastern, Jamaican, Greek, El Salvadoran, and Latin Fusion.
The 7th Grade Service Day was part of a broader exploration into the idea of community and what it means to be a defender of the community. In an earlier PBL project, the students came up with imaginary “Super Defenders” to tackle the issues arising in the local and global communities. A Super Defenders art exhibition, where the 7th graders left positive comments about their peers' artwork, kicked off the service day.
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On June 6, St. Luke’s seventh grade embarked on the large-scale, project-based learning (PBL) 7th Grade Service Day with energy and enthusiasm. After collecting and then filling bags of clothing, shoes, books, games, and non-perishable food items, students set off to deliver them to local nonprofit organizations.
While visiting these locations and organizations, such as Inspirica, Filling in the Blanks, Kids Helping Kids, and Davenport Ridge School, students not only dropped off the various items but took on other tasks. They read stories to younger children, assembled meal packages for children who don’t get enough to eat, spoke with volunteer coordinators, toured facilities, and made cupcakes for a monthly birthday celebration at Inspirica. Students also visited local grocery stores and were given the challenge to figure out how to feed a family of five for the week on a $100 budget.
The groups then sampled diverse ethnic cuisines in our area, including Middle Eastern, Jamaican, Greek, El Salvadoran, and Latin Fusion.
The 7th Grade Service Day was part of a broader exploration into the idea of community and what it means to be a defender of the community. In an earlier PBL project, the students came up with imaginary “Super Defenders” to tackle the issues arising in the local and global communities. A Super Defenders art exhibition, where the 7th graders left positive comments about their peers' artwork, kicked off the service day.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
