As one of this year’s new elective offerings, the Community Service Leadership course is already making a difference at M-A. The class, taught by Economics teacher Andrew Stuart, is closely linked to the Service Learning Center (SLC), also run by Stuart.
The class aims to create an in-class space dedicated to furthering M-A’s community service participation. They schedule sports teams’ official service days, manage the SLC’s website, and make sure that service opportunities are available for every M-A student who wants one.
“We’ve been working really hard on a calendar that provides opportunities for kids who want to do service, and then building those service projects, whether they’re on the weekend or after school,” Stuart said.
Service can be an important way to give back to those less fortunate, connect with the community, and build relationships with others.
Students are required to complete 30 service hours and a final project each semester for the class. These hours can be completed in a variety of ways. “I love service days. The relationships I’ve built in general from service are just amazing and the fact that we can constantly and consistently do service together has been great,” senior Brea Trujillo said.
“We want to plant seeds in as many kids as we possibly can that service is a pathway to healing, to wellness, to resilience, to connection, and to growth,” Stuart said about the goals of M-A’s service programs. “Our goal is to elevate service learning, of course, but also to build service learning experts at M-A,” he said.
M-A’s service programs also seek to right some of the community’s wrongs. “I think a big problem with kids nowadays is apathy towards their community. And I think being able to combat that with opportunities that are fun and accessible for everyone is not only a good way to get students involved in their community but also a good way to get the community the help it needs,” senior Lily Pelican said.
The class is also dedicated to increasing service opportunities available at M-A. “I’m definitely looking forward to creating lots of new events. Hopefully getting a lot more of the student population involved in service,” senior Drew Lemberger said.
The class aims to grant students a wide range of easily accessible and highly rewarding opportunities to serve the community. “We provide an open space that you can come and ask any question you want,” junior Jasmine Abedi said. “It’s not only for certain groups of people. If you’re interested in doing service, you can always come in, and Stuart is always open to answering questions or providing any opportunities that are possible.”
“We believe that [M-A] is the only, or one of the only, public high schools that has a service learning center where people could come in here and build their service resume,” Stuart said.
Service Leadership, Stuart says, is a pathway to outside success. “[In this class] they learn how to lead. They learn about teamwork. They learn about their own passion for service. And we hope they take that passion to the next stages of their lives,” he said.
If you would like to learn more about the service opportunities provided by the Community Service Leadership class and the Service Learning Center, their official calendar is linked here.
