“When Darlington went to the house system in 2000, one of the things we wanted was to have a more programmatic approach for how our students served in the surrounding community,” said Reba Barnes, director of servant leadership and head of Summerbell House.
Academics and service to one's community went hand-in-hand in the mind of namesake J.J. Darlington, and founders John Paul and Alice Cooper made sure that it was an inseparable piece of the learning experience at the school when it was established in 1905.
The first glimpse of the servant leadership program as it is known today was seen in the 2006-07 school year. Seniors worked on a Habitat for Humanity house as their official senior project. Following its success, Barnes was asked to head up the following year's senior project as the faculty liaison, and from that point on servant leadership at Darlington was born.
Servant leadership is more than an after school activity at Darlington; service beyond self is more than a line in the school's motto.
“The kids learn how important it is to serve because it’s the right thing to do, and not to expect something for it,” said Barnes.
Service learning is an integral extension of each student's experience at the school that focus primarily on helping the less fortunate. As the mother hen of the first-year boys' residence hall, Reba—along with husband Wendell—also function in the role of parents for many of the dorm students.
“I have a house full of boys that need to understand that service is important, too,” said Barnes.
Each service project and service idea is student-driven at Darlington. Every spring, students apply for leadership positions, and are elected into the program for the following school year. When a student has an idea for a new initiative or event, Barnes meets with them about the project and helps to formulate a plan.
“We always ask ourselves what the purpose is, who the beneficiary would be, and if money is needed,” said Barnes. “We really push using your hands and feet for service.”
What began as a simple question nearly six years ago led to one of Darlington’s most cherished annual traditions. Taking cues from the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Light the Lake became a reality when students asked to create a similar on-campus event that would redistribute proceeds within the community. Servant leaders sell t-shirts to help pay for the event and donate profits to groups like Cancer Navigators and Summit Quest.
“It’s a very moving thing—the entire student body can participate in some way,” said Barnes. “Our students and their families come out to this event, but community agencies also get involved.”
Over the last few years, the servant leadership program has continued to develop and foster close bonds with McHenry Primary School, local Special Olympics events, Rome Action Ministries, the Open Door Children’s Home, R.A.C.E. Rome’s Tri for the Kids youth triathlon, the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Georgia, and a variety of other events and organizations. Servant leaders help assist with everything from after-school programs to special celebrations like birthday parties, as well as mentor younger students.
Some students choose to give their time on show nights at the Historic DeSoto Theatre as ushers and concession stand volunteers, and others enjoy visiting friends at Winthrop Court Senior Living where they perform songs on the piano and put puzzles together. Last spring a “Sweetheart Dance” was organized by students for the residents.
The senior project for the Class of 2015 touched close to home for many Tigers with the creation of Arm Kandi. Over 900 bracelets were made by seniors and then turned over to Cancer Navigators to sell as a fundraiser. Arm Kandi was named in memory of Kandi Riddle, a former Darlington faculty member who lost her battle with cancer in 2011.
Every year students give between 12,000 and 15,000 hours of service to the Greater Rome community. While 15 hours are required from each student each year, many eclipse that figure fulfilling their minimums early in their first semester.
“It’s not about the hours to these kids. It is about what they can do to be of service and help to others,” said Barnes.
Darlington’s close proximity to service opportunities in the school’s own backyard allow a lot of good to be done without traveling far. In the South Rome community alone, the Boys & Girls Club is a few blocks in one direction, and McHenry Primary School is a few blocks in the other.
“Going out and getting outside of your comfort zone is what servant leadership is all about,” said Barnes.
Opportunities are also being explored for Darlington students to mentor the kids at the new Anna K. Davie Elementary School, which is being constructed less than two miles from campus.
While the heart of the servant leadership program encompasses the Upper School, students as young as those in Pre-Kindergarten are groomed early to learn the importance of selfless service. In fall 2014, students in the Lower School put together the Pajamas for Foster Kids initiative, collecting over 300 pairs of pajamas with attached handwritten notes, accompanied by pillows that were stuffed and sewn by girls in the Regester House.
Darlington’s Middle School students participate every year in the International Dot Day event in September, named for the Peter H. Reynolds book, "The Dot." This story challenges the main character and its readers to find a way to leave their mark on the world. Students work in community gardens, spend time bonding with younger kids, pick up trash at local parks, and stock items at food pantries.
Outside of class, many athletic teams have also organized initiatives across town and across the world, living out service beyond self everywhere from North Rome to the Dominican Republic.
Besides the lives of the students that are touched, it is usually the coordinators and chaperones that receive just as much—if not more—joy.
“When I get so consumed with the details to get our projects organized and completed, I lose touch,” said Barnes. “It always grounds me again to go to the Open Door Home. It is a blessing to be able to see the results of your labors, and to have these longstanding relationships with the different agencies that we work with.”
Many “graduates” from the servant leadership program have gone on to continue their mindset of service into college and beyond.
“It truly transforms the lives of our students—once [they] embrace servant leadership, they are blessed along with the people that they are serving,” said Barnes. “I really appreciate what our kids have built over the years."
The experiences that students gain at Darlington go beyond the walls of the classroom, outside the boundaries of the campus, permeating and strengthening the character of each student. Darlington's servant leadership program continues to help develop the character of each student as they learn daily the importance of service beyond self, just as it has been taught over the last eleven decades.
For more information on the servant leadership program at Darlington, click here.
Servant leaders volunteer on show night at the Historic DeSoto Theatre.
Fourth-grader Christa Twyman sorts through items collected during the Pajamas for Foster Kids drive.
Middle School students work in the gardens of the Boys & Girls Club on International Dot Day last September.
Pre-Kindergarten students Whit Watters and Callie Eady drew pictures to go with pajama bundles for foster children in the community.
Senior Adam Posey constructs an Arm Kandi bracelet to help with a Cancer Navigators fundraiser.
