Community Service at Hagerstown Children’s School

At HCS we believe strongly in community service as an integral part of the Montessori philosophy. HCS is devoted to providing each child a complete education. Part of that complete education is academic and social and yet another is as an involved person within our community. Community Service teaches children to think about their surroundings and to go beyond themselves as they express empathy and compassion. It reinforces the idea that acts of kindness no matter how big or small can create an impact on our lives as well as affect other people’s lives for the better.

During the 2010 - 2011 school year HCS students have been actively involved in the following projects:

We started off the year with a food drive for Food Resources Inc. We collected 100 boxes of cereal, 146 cans of fruit and vegetables, 102 cans of soup and 83 bottles of juice. This is a favorite event that allows the children to help feed others and gives them the opportunity to wear PJs to school.

In March the students made book marks that where distributed to several branch locations of the Washington County Free Library.

In April the students participated in Maryland Kids Care Campaign: Operation Japan. They collected pennies and more that where donated to the American Red Cross Central Maryland Chapter.

The final project for the year will be to collect books and DVDs during the Commencement Programs that will be donated to several local retirement communities in the area.

During the 2009-2010 school year HCS performed the following Community Service Projects:

• Clothing collection for Children In Need. We collected 65 bags of lightly used clothing for a local non-profit clothing and supply depot.
• We extended our reach to another country with Art and Education for Africa. We created a partnership with a Colorado University exchange student in Ghana and donated 12 boxes of collected art and schools supplies to African children that had no other resources. Our students created art and sent pictures to their new friends as a form of establishing good will and friendships. HCS students also collected spare change that helped send part of the school supplies overseas and also asked local businesses to help. Fifty-six students ultimately benefited from this project and the number of students continues to grow.
• For the Caring with Cookies HCS students cookies to donated them to our local REACH Shelter,  Western Maryland Hospital Center and residents at Somerford. Our students will learn that even the smallest act of kindness – like sharing a cookie – can have a positive impact on someone’s life. Caring coming from a stranger in a very basic human level can affect the recipient as well as the donor. And no act of kindness is ever too small.
• Food drive for Food Resources Inc .
• For the Toys for Help project we collected stuffed animals or comfort items to donate to the Children's floor of our local hospital.

Thru all these projects the students have exercised their academic knowledge by using, reading, math, art etc; while at the same time, tapping into their hearts and becoming active and involved people in the world around them. These acts of service will in still in them positivism and a willingness to help change our community and our world for a brighter future.

During the 2008-2009 school year HCS performed the following Community Service Projects:

• Food drive for Food Resources Inc .

• Aluminum can collection. The funds were donated to the Washington County Humane Society