Giving back and doing community service are important traits that we want students to develop prior to graduation. The question that we as a school board have wrestled with for years is, “What is the most effective way to instill both a sense of gratitude for the abundance in our lives, and a desire to share those gifts with others?”
Setting the goal is easy. Achieving the outcome is not.
The challenge is exacerbated in wealthy communities. Since students have rarely experienced financial deprivation, an empathetic response is less conceivable.
To compensate, many schools mandate community service. Unfortunately, students often view the requirement as another of many prerequisites — A box to be checked — work done for a letter verifying number of hours.
Furthermore co-curricular mandates, done after school hours, may send the message that kindness and service to others is an “extra,” an afterthought, that one executes after “real work” is done throughout the workday.
Pragmatically, mandated service is still beneficial as the assistance ultimately provides needed aid to others and may improve a student’s sense of responsibility and time management. That approach however, may still feel a bit empty, and thus only produce short-term gains, if working without a true connection to the cause.
District personnel were keenly aware that connection to a cause would spark student passion. Principals and PTO members all felt a genuine calling as location after location was hammered by natural disasters. Hurricane Harvey hit Texas; Irma struck Florida; Maria devastated Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, and then an earthquake in Mexico damaged homes and infrastructure.
Disparate grassroots groups formed to help and their collaboration eventually became a consolidated districtwide initiative known as Hopewell United.
At our Oct. 16 meeting, board of education members heard details about the Hopewell United project spearheaded by the teachers, support staff and administrator’s unions to foster a partnering of groups invested in the Hopewell community seeking to make a difference beyond our borders.
What makes their project truly unique is that each of the six district schools partner with an affected school in need. Unlike other relief efforts, our district’s approach fosters true student connections.
Traditional relief efforts usually entail well meaning individuals that purchase items for others in need. While the donor may feel a sense of satisfaction, the approach is inefficient as shipping costs are incurred, extra energy is expended in the process, and items may or may not benefit intended recipients.
Alternatively, donating money is more effective as needs may be addressed locally and benefits can be tailored to recipients, but donors feels less of a connection to recipients and must take it on faith that their money was spent wisely.
Hopewell’s approach avoids both pitfalls.
For example, Hopewell Valley Central High School partnered with Northside High School in Houston. CHS bought Metrocards to get Northside students to school. They communicated via social media. CHS students wore purple, Northside’s school colors, and the next day Northside responded by wearing black and gold.
The strategy is similar in all of our schools. Timberlane is paired with Las Americas also in Houston. Bear Tavern is paired with Katherine Smith Elementary. Hopewell Elementary helps Bonita Springs Elementary in Florida. Tollgate and Stony Brook assist schools in St. Croix and Mexico, respectively.
They have already raised tens of thousands of dollars and are communicating regularly. The response is overwhelming and beyond expectation.
A common thread throughout all partner schools is a diverse student population with an 85 to 98 percent free and reduced lunch rate. In other words, these students were among our most needy even before weather struck. The hope is that the relationships built will last far beyond these current events.
As part of our “whole child” initiatives, we believe that basic kindness, mindfulness, character development, and cultural competency are all important pieces of the puzzle to be incorporated into curriculum and embedded throughout the school life experience.
Hopewell United developed organically as an authentic reaction to current events, which makes for a much stronger initiative than a forced program in response to a district directive.
This is only the beginning for Hopewell United as schools plan additional interactions with their partner schools. Students on both sides place a face on their new friends in distant places. Connections are made and the cycle continues.
Sincerely helping others inherently feeds a natural gratitude for what we are able to give.
My August column expressed hope for a “pay it forward” school culture, but warned that such lofty goals would take time. Happily, we are well on our way.
Our board of education is grateful for a supportive community, and for district staff and administration that inspire our students to fully engage. Happy Thanksgiving.
Lisa Wolff is president of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education.
from the schools,
