Northside Middle School students spent a recent fall early release day on the annual Day of Caring, fulfilling acts of service and volunteering for various organizations within their community.
Three years ago, when Dr. Tiffany Hall became principal at Northside, she implemented service learning with the hope this guidance would help students continue that practice throughout their school years and their lives.
“When given the opportunity to see how easy service can be, kids will see more ways to
serve out of the kindness of their hearts,” Dr. Hall said of the Day of Caring.
Dr. Hall is no stranger to supporting her community. While in high school she volunteered
through clubs and other extracurricular activities and continues this line of work as a
part of the Junior League and Palmetto Place Board.
By dedicating a day to service projects, Northside Middle students are given time to
support their community without interfering with other obligations outside of the school
day.
On the Day of Caring, students were divided into “houses” that included different grade
levels that worked together to support a specific organization or cause. These included
Prisma Health Children’s Hospital, first responders and healthcare workers, food banks,
and the homeless community.
Seventh grade teacher Lindsey Greaves’ students made posters for the school hallways
that showed the seven habits related to “Leader in Me.”
“This allowed the students to see examples of how they can live out the seven habits.
These real-life examples help the students easily apply them to their lives,” said Greaves.
Lindsey Bailey, an eighth grade teacher, also views service learning as having a large
impact on Northside Middle.
“Service learning is important because it helps students make a real difference in our
community,” Bailey said. “It gives them a voice and a chance to share their ideas.
Students learn that helping others and working towards something bigger than
themselves builds connection and purpose. By using the Habits, they learn to be
proactive, work well with others, and plan ahead — showing that leadership means
caring, helping, and taking action.”
To help further these skills, leadership clubs are held during the school day to make
them more available to the students who would not otherwise be able to participate.
Looking forward, to help students work towards larger goals, Hall hopes to connect the
“houses” of students to specific community organizations, such as the Ronald
McDonald House, to give them a starting point that allows them to continue their
engagement even after they leave school.
“We want to promote service learning over just service by focusing on the real-world
needs and academic connection and skills that can be used to help those in need,” said
Hall.
This story was written by Alex Compton, a student at the University of South Carolina Honors College. She is majoring in public health and is on the pre-law track. Email her at ajc37@email.sc.edu.