Service learning is integrated into our curriculum and is rooted in the Quaker commitment to peace and equality. Integrating service into our program creates opportunities for students to practice citizenship in a democratic society and experience firsthand how to catalyze change. We encourage our students to identify and support causes based on their own evolving beliefs and opinions. It is not uncommon to find a UFS classroom writing letters to lawmakers or selling baked goods to fund a non-profit or doing community outreach.
UFS students, teachers, parents, and caregivers have demonstrated a commitment to a variety of local, national, and international service projects. Recent programs and initiatives have included:
The MLK Day of Service holds special meaning for United Friends School. In honoring Dr. King’s legacy each year on MLK Day, we look back on the progress we have made as a community and recommit ourselves to the work that remains as we strive for a more just society.
Each year students participate in a class project to give back to the surrounding community. While the preference is to get out into the community, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented students from gathering. Students have worked as a team to research the needs of their local community and identify opportunities to give back. Our most recent class projects have included the packing of treat bags that were delivered to Mercy Philadelphia Hospital for the night nurses and doctors. Students created pet toys for SPCA using articles of clothing and designed greeting cards for Brookdale Senior Living Center in Dublin using writings that invoked the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Our faculty incorporate service into their weekly curricula. For example, the Second/Third Grade (Fox/Paul) classrooms work to help improve the health of the Licking Run Creek. Our Preschool (Mott) students created decorative bags and sold them to raise money for an important cause. The Fourth/Fifth Grade Classroom (Anthony) is excited to bring back the pretzel sale during the 2021-2022 school year, which also raises funds for charity.