Service Learning

In the Lower School, service is a community effort that varies year to year. Whether students and faculty are running canned food drives, raising money for sea turtle sanctuaries, gathering supplies for families in need after a natural disaster or collecting books for Project Enlightenment, our students are making an impact -- and feeling proud of their accomplishments. Many activities are student-led, including the yearly Special Olympics hosted by Middle and Upper School students with assistance from the Lower School.

We believe in exercising our Lead From Here competencies through meaningful service learning opportunities. At various times throughout the year, student leaders coordinate food and clothing drives to benefit organizations such as the Regional Food Bank and Note in the Pocket. Students host fundraisers and bake sales to support various endeavors, including our student-led shopping trip to provide wish list items for families in need. 

We encourage and grow personal connections with our partner organizations by spending time off campus. The Middle School seeks to support the organizations we serve and encourage students to grow personally through these experiences. Two times a year all Middle School students and faculty engage in a Day of Service. Many groups go off campus to volunteer at places such as Walnut Creek Wetland Park, Falls Lake, Refugee Hope Partners, and Safe Haven for Cats. Other students choose to stay on campus to mentor our youngest Ravens in the Lower School or to complete projects for programs such as Backpack Buddies or Learning Together. In the Middle School we are committed to providing opportunities for student leadership as we practice Leading Self, Leading with Others, and Changing Our World.

Upper School Community Service Form

Upper School students, after years in this safe and character-evolving community, are now encouraged to take a risk and champion a cause, connecting their service opportunity to personal interests. Service is required for graduation, but our students proudly volunteer in their communities thousands of hours beyond what is required. Also, Ravenscroft is a place ready to embrace and promote initiatives born from our students’ passions, such as RavensBuild -- the building and support group for a Habitat for Humanity home -- or the student who led an effort to provide clothes to impoverished students in the mountains of North Carolina. It is through these initiatives that compassion is evident, leadership is learned, and sometimes even the idea for a future career is born.

• Ravenscroft requires a community service commitment of 20 hours per year from each of its Upper School students.
• At least 10 of these hours must be fulfilled through volunteering with civic, religious, or community groups or non-profit agencies involved in outreach activities directed to serve the community at large and especially those who are less fortunate.
• The other half of these 20 hours may be completed on the Ravenscroft campus; however, it should be noted that responsibilities associated with a co-curricular activity or requirements for a specific class may not be counted as community service.

Students and families will find the Upper School Community Service Form in the Parent Portal (Veracross).