How can our school engage our students in discussion about what it means to live out ISW’s Core Values (respect, responsibility, empathy, integrity, and commitment to education)? That was the question that faculty considered last year. Affirming that our students should see themselves as leaders with the responsibility to make a positive impact on the community today (not some far-off time when our students are finally “grown up”), our faculty adopted an annual service theme that includes literature studies, field trips and speakers, and, of course, service projects. In other words, we adopted a true service-learning model.

Last spring, our students voted to make 2016-17 the year of Animal Welfare. And then the real fun began. Understanding that before students can help others, they must first educate themselves, teachers researched fiction and non-fiction, and we read (and read and read) many titles, including:

  • The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
  • Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen
  • Wesley the Owl, by Anna Sewell, adapted by June Brigman and Roy Richardson
  • Dear Whiskers, by Ann Nagda
  • Black Beauty, the graphic novel
  • Iditarod-related books

Students wrote about animal welfare and debated it. One of our 4th graders wrote about a persuasive essay on the conditions in which hens are raised. A 3rd grader wrote a persuasive essay on testing human products on animals. A 9th grader created a photo essay about a cat colony in Front Royal. Kindergarteners spoke extensively during science units about treating all creatures with respect and kindness.

We hosted cross-divisional sessions:

  • Upper Elementary students will visit the Middle/High School campus to share a morning of activities and to watch Hoot, the movie, over a potluck breakfast. (Incidentally, our Middles and High Schoolers volunteered to read Hoot, so they would be ready to discuss it!)
  • High Schoolers visited the Uppers to teach sketching and some games in connection with Black Beauty.
  • Uppers put together an Animal Lit unit to share with the Kindergarten and Lower Elementary students.

Our students enjoyed field trips and speakers, including:

  • Blandy
  • Blue Ridge Wildlife
  • Dakota’s Dream
  • Purposeful PAWS
  • Timmy, a rescue dog
  • Safe Approaches to Dogs
  • Pollinator Release Program
  • Camel Rides (which tied into the Middle School study of the Silk Route!)

And of course students created many service projects. A few highlights :

  • Lowers made dog treats for the SPCA.
  • Uppers decorated an origami animal-welfare-themed holiday tree for the YDC’s Festival of Trees.
  • Middles created an owl-themed wreath for the YDC’s Festival of Trees.
  • High Schoolers collected supplies and donations for Blue Ridge Wildlife.
  • Art classes at all levels made nature drawings and animal portraits and collages.
  • The High School photography class made education about animals at Esther Boyd and the SPCA a key subject for their photo exhibition at Tin Top.

We are loving this approach to service learning, and we judge it a huge success. Next year’s theme: Art in the Community. We can hardly wait!

 

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