Contributors to Society

10/12/2022

by Michelle Andrade

Our Mission Statement ends with “... and to be contributors to society.” But what does that mean?

Teaching one how to contribute often begins small and grows with maturity. Teachers work with the administration to integrate such opportunities for growth as a student moves from Kindergarten to graduation, offering students the skills and knowledge needed to be of service in their worlds. The intentionality behind this idea of contribution is clear, as Ensworth incorporates service in the required curriculum for grades K-12.

Along with such endeavors, each grade or division of the school has special ways in which it brings this practice of contribution through service into the academic year. Beginning in Kindergarten, students collect coins for Habitat for Humanity, a tradition that has been in practice for decades. Grade 3 collects pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House, a service project currently underway. As students get older, they begin to leave campus, culminating in off-campus community service days as early as eighth grade.

At the High School, the Service Learning plans engage students through hands-on opportunities in the community as well as curate special PCLs (Prescribed Community Learning) welcoming community members to the school. Four times a year, students spend the school day sharing their time and talents with the community. This week, high school students visited Preston Taylor Ministries, Restore, Shelby Park, Thrift Smart, Turnip Green Reuse, Warner Park, Bell Garden, Cheatham County Animal Control, Cheekwood, Community Resource Center, Feed the Children, Glen Leven Farm, Harpeth River Conservatory, Heimerdinger Foundation, Hospitality House, Larkspur Conservation, Nashville Rescue Mission, NMAAM, and Warner Parks. They also worked on an ongoing art mural, shared their voices with Barton House, worked in the school garden, interviewed veterans, and created books for My First Books.