Our River Runs Wide

Community service was a major focus at The River School this year. Through school-wide, classroom-based, and student-initiated efforts, members of The River School community made a difference in the lives of people all over the world. Many teachers chose to incorporate a community service component into their themes to directly connect the process of learning with the act of serving others. Here are a few examples of some River School community initiatives:

This year, the RSPA sponsored two school-wide service projects which were coordinated by Fena MacDonald. In the winter, members of The River School were asked to donate warm winter children?s clothes for Bright Beginnings, an non-profit organi-zation in Southeast Washington. Families were extremely generous, and the project's success motivated Fena to spearhead an even larger spring service project. For three days in June, families were asked to donate numerous items, including baby clothes, toys, strollers, household items, etc., to benefit A Wider Circle, a non-profit organization that assists homeless families in our community. Again, The River School's outpouring of generosity was overwhelming. After the final items were collected at The River School Spring Picnic, a huge truckload of supplies was delivered to A Wider Circle by the MacDonald family.

River School teachers incorporated community service into their thematic units throughout the year. Here are a few examples of some of the incredibly creative projects that occurred this spring:

Beaver Class teachers Shelly Howard-Robinson and Nayamka Long decided to design a theme about Africa after learning that one of their students, Noah Hersh, would be moving to Uganda. To prepare Noah and his fellow classmates for his departure, the Beavers studied African environments and cultures. Beaver students learned about the animals, customs, foods, and dances of Uganda, culminating with an African dance party. For their service project component, the children worked very hard making necklaces, bracelets, and baked goods for the Beaver Market. Over a three-day period, the children took turns minding the store with teachers and parent volunteers. They raised $523.87 to donate to Heifer International, an international non-profit that raises money to provide farm animals to African villages. The villagers are then taught how to use the animals for food and profit. The class goal was to be able to buy a heifer for a village in Africa; students surpassed this goal by raising enough funds for an additional basket of rabbits and chickens.

Duck Class teachers Mary Knepel and Megan Stouffer decided to turn an enormous loss for the Capitol Hill community into a learning experience for their students. Their theme, "Duck Market," began as an introduction to a farmer's market. During the theme, the students learned about the origins of the products that are sold at markets and how farmers make a living by producing and selling their goods at market. A major component of the theme was the opening of the "Duck Market" to sell student-made wares and baked goods in support of The Capitol Hill Community Foundation. The children raised $700 and took a field trip to Eastern Market where they presented a check and an enormous card to board members of the foundation. As a token of thanks, the city invited the Ducks to tour the remains of Eastern Market, which is closed to the public. The students could see, first-hand, the damage to this historic site and its effect on the local community. They had the opportunity to meet farmers who worked in the market. Each Duck received a delicious banana as a gift of thanks from their new farmer friends.

Inspired by a classroom writing project, the Eagle Class published and sold a collaboratively written book entitled Tom Learns a Lesson, to support an environmentally-focused charity. The students began the creative process by brainstorming ideas as a class under the direction of teachers Andrea Handscomb, Anastasia Kalona, and Mary Clare Moller. They outlined the elements of the story: main characters, setting, problem, and solution, and used a graphic organizer to generate sentences to form the story. The Eagles then shepherded their work through the entire publishing process themselves: proofreading and editing the text, making illustrations, and laying out each page. Their completed books were then offered for sale in late May, raising $160 for The Potomac Conservancy, a local environmental organization that works to protect the Potomac River.

These are just three examples of how the creativity and ingenuity of River School faculty and students helped raise thousands of dollars for local, national, and international non-profit organizations. Many thanks go to all the members of The River School family who contributed to the community service initiative and helped cultivate the spirit of giving, community, and altruism in our children.