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Heartwarming Moments Overflow During Alexandria Country Day School’s Service Learning Day

Kids go out into the community to give back just before Thanksgiving

Two little ids looking up from a work table and smiling
ACDS students visited Child & Family Network Center’s preschool program and worked with the small children.  Left: CFNC child.  Right: ACDS student Lily.  Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

ALEXANDRIA, VA-You could feel the excitement the moment you entered the main doors of Alexandria Country Day School Tuesday, November 26. The private school bustled with energy as kindergarten through eighth grade students traded their desks for a day of hands-on community service. It was Service Learning Day, two days before Thanksgiving.  

Little girl looks a camera whle carrying package
Students help out at Lutheran Social Services. ACDS student Lia. Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

“One of the reasons why the service day is always held on this day is that we can have that moment of reflection. This morning, students reflected on what community service means to them and how they feel grateful,” Leigh Poole told Zebra. She is the service learning coordinator for the school. “The November service project is a good reminder for the kids before we go into the holiday season.” Poole explained that her work begins in the summer when she reaches out to several city non-profits. 

Little boy picking up trash on side of the path
The students take a field trip to Four Mile Run to clean up invasive plants. Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

Service learning is a cornerstone of Alexandria Country Day School’s mission. Every year, students participate in at least three service days, fostering a sense of community engagement and the importance of giving back. Students from all grades were either out in the community or working on projects at school to support several local organizations, including Community Lodgings, Four Mile Run, ALIVE!, Lutheran Social Services, and Child & Family Network Centers (CFNC).  

Lile girl in a spply closet getting goods
Lutheran Social Services. Foreground: 3rd Grader. Background: Ben. Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

Shelli Vasser Gilliam is director of development for Community Lodgings. She paid a visit to the school Tuesday to talk about hunger in the community and how to create Thanksgiving food baskets. “We are a housing provider but on a daily basis we also address education and food insecurity. Today with this particular distribution we’ll be talking about food insecurity of our families that are just a mile away.”  

Two children loading up on supplies
Lutheran Social Services. Left to right: Avery and Ben. Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

Laid out on long tables in the auditorium were taco shells, vegetable oil, beans, rice, tomatoes, and spices. Gilliam explained that her organization is housed in the Chirilagua neighborhood of Alexandria and a large part of her clientele comes from the Latino community. She found that when her organization provided the traditional Thanksgiving fare of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, the food went unused.  

Two small children coloring something at a work table
Child & Family Network Center’s preschool program. Right: ACDS student Blake. Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

“So when Alexandria Country Day School came along and we started working with what we could do on this day for Thanksgiving baskets, we discovered we need to provide food that we know our families would be interested in versus what we believe is appropriate for Thanksgiving. These items are what’s appropriate primarily and culturally for our families.”  

Teacher holding fabric and talking to class
Second grade teacher Emma McCallum, demonstrating dog blanket project for Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

Making food baskets had a profound impact on sixth grader Bennett Hull. “It makes me feel bad that people have to suffer and go hungry, but it makes me feel good that we’re trying to do something about that and fix it.” Will you be looking at your Thanksgiving table a little bit differently this year? Zebra asked Bennett. “We always look at it differently and we are thankful,” the boy replied. “And before dinner, we talk about what we’re grateful for. We try to give thanks that we’re lucky enough to have a Thanksgiving dinner together.”  

Two little girls smiling up at camera
Second and fifth graders working on dog blankets for Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. Left: Ava Deans, second grader. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

An early morning rain put the skids on a walking field trip to Monticello Park but that did not dampen the children’s spirits. Service Learning Day continued indoors as students moved from the auditorium to the cafeteria to classrooms, doing a variety of meaningful projects. Suddenly the clouds broke, the rain limped off, and the school was able to salvage an afternoon field trip to Four Mile Run for an invasive plant cleanup. The Monticello Park excursion will be rescheduled. 

6-7 kids picking up trash along a nature trail path
Four Mile Run field trip. Foreground left to right: Ellie and Savannah. Left back: Hadley. Right back: Scott Baytosh, head of school. Photo: courtesy Alexandria Country Day School

The day was a vivid tapestry of green as all students donned their trademark green T-shirts, proudly displaying the school’s name. In the cafeteria, kindergarteners joined the first and 8th grades to pack meals for ALIVE!  

Two little girls hugging and looking at camera
Fifth grader Pepper Lantz, second grader Ava Deans. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

Lynne Godek is a kindergarten teacher who supervised the ALIVE! project. “The children are packaging what we call Blessings in a Backpack. These are bags that will go home with students who qualify for free or reduced meals, and this is food to get them through the weekend,” she explained. “These are children who truly might not have food in their refrigerator at home over the weekend, so this tides them over until they’re back in school again. So they get entrees, snacks, and breakfasts.”  

A group of children and adults working together
Blessings in a Backpack. Students in Kindergarten, first, and eighth grades assemble meals for ALIVE! in the cafeteria. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

Second graders filed into a classroom in the late afternoon to make blankets for dogs that will go to Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. Their fifth grade buddies accompanied them.  

Ava Deans said she loves dogs but does not own one because her little sister is afraid of them. “I really want to help because dogs are one of my favorite animals in the whole wide world, and I really, really want to care for them!”  

Kids standing in a classroom working on a project
Second graders prepare to make blankets for dogs. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

Pepper Lantz, her fifth-grade companion, shared how this blanket project makes her feel. “When animals don’t have the right treatment, it feels that not everybody is equal in this world. During a day of service, we are trying to build a community where everybody’s connected and we all have something to share,” she said. “We’re trying to get everybody the things that they need so we can have a strong community.”  

Woman putting finishing touches on gift baskets
Sixth grade teacher Alex Sharpe collects the completed Thanksgiving food baskets. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

Ava is in second grade. On Tuesday, she learned about helping those who do not have enough to eat. She told Zebra: “It feels sad, but we’re willing to help them.” 

Pepper owns two dogs and said she felt sad when she thought about all those dogs living in a shelter.  “I try to think of dogs that don’t have all of this stuff and that just makes me want to do something about it.”   

Kids and adults around a work table putting together gift paskets
Students assemble Thanksgiving food baskets for needy Alexandrians. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

Godek, the teacher supervising the ALIVE! packing activity, reflected on the impact this day has on her young students. “Kindergarteners tend to be very empathic kids, especially when they’re thinking about other children. So when they hear that there may be another child their age who may not get food, they’re all in.”  

Alexandria Country Day School will conduct another large Service Learning Day in April. 

Woman in purple shirt and colorful scarf
Shelli Vasser Gilliam, Community Lodgings director of development, addresses the assembled students on Thanksgiving and food insecurity in Alexandria. Photo: Judith Fogel/Zebra Press

 

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