Community Service

Though technically part of the mission statement, community service is inherent in every practice at The Community School. The philosophy driving the progam is to instill students with a greater sense for what community means on and off campus, locally and internationally.

What it is….

The Community School has a voluntary 6th-12th grade community service program. Students choose to participate, get involved, track their hours, and we recognize their efforts. Over the past several years, the 200 or so students in the 6-12th grades have given over 5000 hours of service each year. We have had between 70 and 80% of our students choose to participate and high levels of participation are recognized with some form of award. Some classes include service projects and in the fall, the Upper School hosts a Community Service Day where students spend the day working in the community in small groups.

Why we do it…

Our mission statement says, in part, “We endeavor to foster in our students self-confidence, integrity, responsibility to their community and environment, and a life-long passion for learning.” We believe that service is an important component to assist in teaching such skills and values along with the outdoor program, sports, and, of course academics.

How it all got started….

In the spring of 1992, the Student Senate decided they wanted to put the "community" in Community School and pledged they would volunteer 2400 hours of community service during the 1992-93 school year. The staff responded by pledging 600 hours of community service. Bob Doyle is a critical reason for the starting and the success of the community service program. His years of service are acknowledged here and in the award honoring his dedication.

How it works…

Choose an event. Volunteer. Have the volunteer coordinator at the event sign the community service hours report. Turn those hours into Yvonne Inman or Chris McAvoy. A formal record will be kept throughout the year as students progress towards their individual goals. The school will post its records periodically to confirm with the family’s records, but it should be the student and his/her family who ultimately take responsibility for his/her hours. We acknowledge students with the following certificates of recognition at our spring awards ceremony:

One student at each of the Middle and High School levels will also be chosen by the faculty to be recognized as the “Bob Doyle Community Service Leader” and be given special recognition.

What counts as community service…

Any work for a non-profit or governmental group in which one doesn’t get paid or otherwise compensated should count as service. Please don’t turn in hours that include ‘volunteering’ for a local for-profit company. Local churches provide many great opportunities for service, but also create a ‘grey area’ in terms of definition. We ask that you draw a distinction between ‘community service’ and ‘church service’. If you are serving food to the whole community as church event, then that would count as community service, but if you are serving your church on the altar, we ask that you keep that as a separate event.

How you can get started…

The Upper School has a “Community Service Leadership Team” that meets weekly. Students can get involved and lead various projects in the school and community. This group works hard to inform the student body, through daily announcements, school assemblies, and email, about upcoming service events. They also design new events for the school to participate in. However, the community itself obviously offers a variety of ways to get involved. There are a few different approaches to think about:

• Think long term
  Develop a long-term relationship with a local non-profit of your choosing. Think about whether you want to work with the elderly, with animals, or with the earth. Call the ERC, the Advocates, the Senior Connection, Adaptive Sports, Head Start, Sawtooth Botanical Garden, the Animal Shelter, Blaine County Weed Service- this isn’t their real name- fix it Silver Creek, the Wood River Land Trust, or another local non-profit and ask how to get started.
• Think short term
  Look at the events page of the local paper. See what’s coming up in the next few weeks or month and call the people responsible. We have an amazing amount of events to get involved in that range from the arts and cultural to sporting events to historical events. Think about: Sun Valley Arts Festival, Wagon Days, Renaissance Festival, Sun Valley Center for the Arts music concerts or other events, Trailing of the Sheep, Baldy Mountain Hill Climb, Boulder Mountain Tour, Galena’s events, Blaine County Recreation District events, and countless others.