NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifePre-K to 8Service
Service Projects Beneficial; Teach Service Beyond Self
Jan 1, 2001 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
Often contagious, the spirit of servitude is an integral force at Darlington’s core. Encompassing community service into the mission statement is evidence of its significance, “…To impart the high calling of service to others.” Community service has become as much a part of Darlington’s character as Silver Lake and her swans, Wednesday Chapel, the Tiger, fine arts performances, and Frisbee in the Cove.
Visits to elementary schools and daycare centers and support of the recycling program are but a few examples of activities that are strongly supported throughout the year. But with the holiday season an ardent desire to do for others abounds across the Darlington campuses. The weeks prior to Thanksgiving until Christmas break are abuzz with service activities from kindergarten to twelfth grade and every grade in between –from collecting 4,300 cans for a food drive at the Upper School to Lower School students giving goody bags to a retirement center to 13-year-olds donating $1,250 in birthday gift money to Rome Urban Ministries. According to Headmaster David Rhodes this is an important part of education, “Our students definitely reap the benefits. It widens their views and is vital to their education because it allows them to see beyond themselves.”
More than 335 students, 75 percent of the Upper School student body, experienced the joy of giving at Darlington Christmas, an annual outreach event sponsored by the “Y” Cabinet. Mark Gibbons, “Y” Cabinet adviser, said that the payback is endless. “This is an eye-opening experience. They see children from an absolutely different plane of existence than their own. It’s sobering to read children’s wish lists that include a bed, underwear, or as we’ve seen more than once, children whose only wish is for a parent to come home,” Gibbons said. “It’s a responsibility more than a choice. This is a ministry for our school. We have great kids who make an impact on the community. They see a different walk of life –and with that comes an understanding of their possessions in life and a realization of their responsibility to society.”
On the afternoon of Darlington Christmas, 90 children referred by the Floyd County Department of Family and Children Services, visited the campus where they were greeted by students, then shared in festivities that included dinner, gift giving, a photo with Santa Claus, and arts and crafts.
Other Upper School holiday outreach activities included Griffeth House volunteers reading Christmas stories to children at McHenry School, choral group concerts, food drive competition between houses, and a Zimmer House sponsored blanket drive.
Students at the Middle School get into the spirit of giving with an astounding enthusiasm. This season alone they raised more than $1,700 and a truckload of groceries for Rome Urban Ministries, donated an abundance of items to Angel Express, hosted a Christmas party for approximately 80 toddlers, and 11 students gave $1,250 in birthday donations to Rome Urban Ministries. “Though I know that the efforts of our students help the community, I believe that these projects teach our students the joy of giving and make them more appreciative of all their blessings,” Sally MacLeod, Middle School assistant principal, said.
The Lower School also embraces community service and the impact is substantial. Every grade level participated in outreach along with school-wide undertakings. Their endeavors included conducting Operation Christmas Child, as well as drives for warm clothes, food, and Toys for Tots; supporting Angel Tree; adopting two Rome families in need; performing plays and holiday programs and providing goody bags for retirement centers; and collecting funds for Good Neighbors Ministries.
“It’s simply contagious,” Nancy Ivester, Middle School faculty, said. “I’m planning to volunteer, along with some of our students, at a December 29 party for about 100 Hispanic children at the civic center. Wil Tucker (seventh grader) is doing the games for his Eagle Scout project. Once you start it’s hard to stop.”
Visits to elementary schools and daycare centers and support of the recycling program are but a few examples of activities that are strongly supported throughout the year. But with the holiday season an ardent desire to do for others abounds across the Darlington campuses. The weeks prior to Thanksgiving until Christmas break are abuzz with service activities from kindergarten to twelfth grade and every grade in between –from collecting 4,300 cans for a food drive at the Upper School to Lower School students giving goody bags to a retirement center to 13-year-olds donating $1,250 in birthday gift money to Rome Urban Ministries. According to Headmaster David Rhodes this is an important part of education, “Our students definitely reap the benefits. It widens their views and is vital to their education because it allows them to see beyond themselves.”
More than 335 students, 75 percent of the Upper School student body, experienced the joy of giving at Darlington Christmas, an annual outreach event sponsored by the “Y” Cabinet. Mark Gibbons, “Y” Cabinet adviser, said that the payback is endless. “This is an eye-opening experience. They see children from an absolutely different plane of existence than their own. It’s sobering to read children’s wish lists that include a bed, underwear, or as we’ve seen more than once, children whose only wish is for a parent to come home,” Gibbons said. “It’s a responsibility more than a choice. This is a ministry for our school. We have great kids who make an impact on the community. They see a different walk of life –and with that comes an understanding of their possessions in life and a realization of their responsibility to society.”
On the afternoon of Darlington Christmas, 90 children referred by the Floyd County Department of Family and Children Services, visited the campus where they were greeted by students, then shared in festivities that included dinner, gift giving, a photo with Santa Claus, and arts and crafts.
Other Upper School holiday outreach activities included Griffeth House volunteers reading Christmas stories to children at McHenry School, choral group concerts, food drive competition between houses, and a Zimmer House sponsored blanket drive.
Students at the Middle School get into the spirit of giving with an astounding enthusiasm. This season alone they raised more than $1,700 and a truckload of groceries for Rome Urban Ministries, donated an abundance of items to Angel Express, hosted a Christmas party for approximately 80 toddlers, and 11 students gave $1,250 in birthday donations to Rome Urban Ministries. “Though I know that the efforts of our students help the community, I believe that these projects teach our students the joy of giving and make them more appreciative of all their blessings,” Sally MacLeod, Middle School assistant principal, said.
The Lower School also embraces community service and the impact is substantial. Every grade level participated in outreach along with school-wide undertakings. Their endeavors included conducting Operation Christmas Child, as well as drives for warm clothes, food, and Toys for Tots; supporting Angel Tree; adopting two Rome families in need; performing plays and holiday programs and providing goody bags for retirement centers; and collecting funds for Good Neighbors Ministries.
“It’s simply contagious,” Nancy Ivester, Middle School faculty, said. “I’m planning to volunteer, along with some of our students, at a December 29 party for about 100 Hispanic children at the civic center. Wil Tucker (seventh grader) is doing the games for his Eagle Scout project. Once you start it’s hard to stop.”
