Featured Story
Successful Service Symposium
“I really want to be an EMT...that presentation was so interesting”
“Waveny sounds great—there’s so much you can do there”
“Filling in the Blanks was so interesting, let’s work there together”
“LiveGirl seems really cool”
These were just some of the responses enthusiastically shared after the St. Luke’s Center for Leadership (CFL) Upper School Service Symposium on November 1. CFL interns Cate Mathew ‘21 and Susanna Montgomery ‘19 took the lead in reorganizing and arranging this annual event that delves deeper into the importance of service work and connects students to various organizations in need.
Upper School students first heard from speakers who came from different community organizations and addressed broad topics such as poverty, health, and the environment. This was followed by smaller workshops with nonprofit representatives who shared information about their organizations and offered opportunities for students to address the concerns. Each Upper School student selected an area of interest and then met with three of the following organizations: American Red Cross, Building One Community, Dress for Success, Filling in the Blanks, Grassroots Tennis, Inspirica, Keys Music, Kids Helping Kids, LiveGirl, New Canaan EMT, New Canaan Nature Center, New Canaan YMCA, Our Woven Community, PAWS, Person to Person, Quest for Peace, ROAR, Triangle Community Center, Stamford Peace, Waterside School, and Waveny.
Students then came back together to hear St. Luke’s alumnus Peter Gray ’93. Interviewed by CFL interns Cate and Susanna, Gray talked about his days on the Hilltop. He admitted that initially he only did service work because it was required. Little did he know then it would be the start of his lifelong journey with volunteer work that has shaped his life in the most profound and meaningful ways.
Center for Leadership Director Kate Parker-Burgard said, “One student wrote that she/he went into the symposium somewhat reluctantly but walked away from the day ‘really inspired.’ The CFL interns did a great job creating an event to highlight the value and impact of service work for everyone involved.”
View the Upper School Meditation given that same day by Parker Burgard, Nicole Ayoub ‘21, and Kayleigh Bowler ‘20 about working with the homeless in Washington, D.C., during the CFL Summer Service Trip last June.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 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 Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
