Service Learning

Take Action: Join us in Celebrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week

April 18, 2020

Each year, The Winchendon School highlights its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through DEI Week. This event was founded by students and continues to be student-led by Service-Learning Leaders. Because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, DEI week will be virtual this year. This global crisis has shed light on many of our strengths and challenges as a diverse, inclusive and equitable global community. Each of us is experiencing this pandemic differently depending on so many different factors including nationality, income level, race, ethnicity, age, ability, gender, sexuality, and so much more. This week, we hope you will take time to think about your own experience and that of people very different from yourself.

Each day you will get a list of activities and resources to use including:

❏ Photo/Video Challenges
❏ Virtual Discussions
❏ Film/Movie Recommendations
❏ Poetry & Creative Arts Competition
❏ Articles
❏ Individual and/or Family Activities

Unlike previous years, we are not able to form Cross-Cultural Teams for a competition. However, we will give out a grand prize of $100 to the student or faculty who participates the most in the activities offered. The $100 will be donated in your name to the organization of your choice to help during the COVID-19 crisis.

So check out what we have planned. Get involved! Get your family involved! And share what you’re doing on social media using with #DEIwinchendon, #thewinchendonschool, or email your photos to servicelearning@winchendon.org.

Watch this video on YouTube

Going Deeper

This document outlines the challenges for the 5 days of DEI Week 2020. You can download the document or sign up for email reminders for the daily events.

Virtual DEI Week 2020

Seven Tips to Find the Right High School Service Learning Program

April 17, 2020

Isn’t service learning just a fancier name for the community service hours many high schools require seniors to complete before they can graduate? In a word? No. Articulated service-learning programs go beyond completing community service requirements for graduation. It’s the difference between learning to fix the root cause of issues rather than volunteering for a cause. While volunteerism is a vital role and volunteers may be needed for a service learning project – volunteerism doesn’t change root causes. Here are seven things to look for in a great service-learning program in high school.

SERVICE LEARNING PROGRAMS ARE ACADEMIC BASED

Look for a program that integrates academic credit with their service learning curriculum. Programs should have intentional learning goals.

SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS SHOULD BE BASED IN STUDENTS’ OWN COMMUNITY

The best service learning programs look for ways students can improve life in their own community. Service-learning focuses on effective citizenship with the goal of students better understanding social issues relevant to their own community.

SERVICE LEARNING PROGRAMS ARE RESEARCH BASED

Before you can solve a problem, you need to know why and how it came to exist. In the best service learning programs students research and understand the roots of the issue in their own communities before agreeing to act by developing a program.

STUDENTS LEAD THE SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT

While teachers can act as mentors and coaches to the students, in Service Learning projects, students learn leadership skills by taking on the leader roles in the project.

SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS BUILD PARTNERSHIPS

Students leaders conduct research and reach out to local leaders to find community partners.

SERVICE LEARNING HONORS ACHIEVEMENT NOT HOURS SPENT

In Service Learning, emphasis is not placed on short-term community service hours but rather on the larger achievement of the program.

SERVICE LEARNING PARTICIPANT REFLECT ON THEIR EXPERIENCES

Participants generate and act upon ideas and build relationships, but in service learning an important component is reflection. Participants learn to reflect on their actions, think back on how decisions were made, and tasks performed, Participants learn from the process and reflect on improvements such as what does the group need to move the project further, should they have chosen a different method, and how could they be more successful.

Can all of this help you get into your dream college? Maybe, but it’s up to you. In your college interviews you can talk about your developing leadership skills, you can show your history of collaborating with others to reach a common goal, and you can show prospective colleges how you live your school’s core values. These reasons could put you at the top of the candidate list for college.

Service Learning at The Winchendon School Pivots

April 16, 2020

Art for the Future is the Latest Winchendon School Service Learning Group To Move Online

What do you do when you’re socially united but physically distant and you’re running a Service Learning program? Pivot. That’s just what the Service Learning program at The Winchendon School did this semester after returning from Spring Break. Both academics and Service Learning went online. 18 of the 19 Service Learning programs were able to pivot their programs to an online platform. The latest group to put their program online is Art for the Future.

The program moved from afterschool to in-home. Students put together a series of art projects with materials middle and high school students should be able to find in-home, but additional supplies can be mailed to students who need them. The program is free to those living in North Central Massachusetts and is funded in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council.

What Happens With All The Art?

Participants make art and take a photo to post it online or display their collection to inspire and strengthen our community!

Want to make art? Sign-up here!

Theater for Change Pivots Their Program: A Service Learning Story

April 3, 2020

What characteristics do Winchendon School students have in common? They’re resourceful, adaptable, and collaborative, exhibiting three of our eight core values. The Theater for Change Service Learning program is adapting their afterschool program to an online offering of videos of singing warmups, physical warmups, and acting warmups/games. These videos will be shared on the Winchendon School Facebook page in addition to holding Zoom sessions on Thursdays.

Theater for Change began as a way for area elementary students to gain confidence through guided discovery and theater exercises. The afternoon session will culminate with a showcase production at the end of the project.

Service Learning Leaders choose to lead the program due to their own love of theater. Part of the motivation for offering the class remains the same as the program’s first year – not all elementary students in the area have the opportunity to explore theater in the younger grades.

Theater by its nature is an art form that depends on collaboration, one of the Great Eight core values at TWS. In addition, students who experience theater productions have higher SAT scores, reading comprehension, and it stimulates innovation and creativity. In short, it gives students the opportunity to learn valuable life skills.

While the students are physically away from the program and their school schedule – keeping the program going online allows the group to stay connected and maintain relationships, both vital during this period of social distancing.

Empowering students to take leadership roles is a hallmark of a Winchendon School education.

Toy Drive: A Service Learning Story

December 17, 2019

It was a fight to the finish for the coffee and donuts prize for the advisory group that collected the most toys by the December 16th deadline. In the end, Mr. Akalonu and Dr. Bradley’s group were the winners with 31 toys donated to the Child Development Support Corporation(CDSC) Toy Drive. Service Learning students created the competition as an added incentive after approaching the CDSC about participating in their toy drive. “We decided to do something within our community since we remembered that the CDSC had a toy drive last year that we didn’t participate in,” said Chelsea M. ‘21, one of the SL student leaders behind the effort. This is the second Service Learning initiative of the term. The SL team held a bake sale to raise money that was donated to Sisters Network, an organization raising awareness of the impact of breast cancer on Women of Color.

In its 10th year and spearheaded by Mireille Massac, Community Relations Manager for the CDSC, the Toy Drive serves around 160 children in the Clinton Hill/Bedstuy surrounding neighborhoods. Many of the toy recipients attend the CDSC’s weekly food pantry. The Winchendon School | Brooklyn joins long-time sponsors and local pizza restaurant Speedy Romeos and first-year participants The Learning Experience. “It’s become a real community effort,” said Ms. Massac who will spend the next few days inviting families and sorting through the toys. “I think it’s important to help the CDSC because we are giving back to the community,” said Mendez. With The School matching gifts brought in by faculty, The Winchendon School | Brooklyn donated over 75 toys that will be given out at the CDSC’s holiday party on Friday afternoon.

Fighting Food Insecurity: A Service Learning Story

November 21, 2019

Two days after winning the NEPSAC Class C Volleyball championship, Kylee interviewed her head coach, Logan King, and fellow teammate, Cassie Burdick, as part of her afternoon activity interning with the communications team. Over the past seven years, Kylee has gotten used to being on both sides of the camera as she receives recognition for the 501(c)3 she founded when she was ten. Most recently, Boston’s WCVB interviewed her for their A+ segment.

You can watch the video about the championship run below.

The four-year local day student balances her academics with being President of the Model UN Club, Secretary for the School’s National Honor Society chapter, and a Service Learning leader for a group called Food Justice. Bringing the experience she gained as the founder of Kylee’s Kare Kits for Kids, an organization that provides weekend meals to food-insecure students, to the Food Justice group, Kylee was able to assist in writing a grant request proposal. In doing so, she helped secure $100,000 to address healthy aging, including gaps in food access, housing, transportation, and community safety. The grant was awarded through Tufts University to Growing Places with support from The Winchendon School’s Food Justice Service Learning group. Kylee, along with the Food Justice Service Learning group founder, Kiley R. ’19 and previous leader Taylor A.’19, were involved with this initiative since its inception.

Like The Winchendon School, Kylee understands community matters.