Last month, students at St. Anne’s-Belfield School set a record – drawing more than 100 donors to their annual blood drive. The event used to be organized by parents, but four years ago math teacher Josh Ross decided students could do the job, and he inspired them with his story.
"My mom passed away from leukemia when I was in college. I remember when I would go to the hospital with her. She would be getting so many blood transfusions, and I just always wondered where that blood came from," he recalls. "It just gives me so much pride to see all of these kids involved. They know they can have an impact.”
The blood drive is just one of many activities that students can choose as part of a civic engagement program that begins in elementary school with kids joining in a canned food drive and a coat drive. Junior high students like Summerly Gulotta take part in Feel Good Fridays— preparing meals at a local inn where families can stay while relatives are being treated at UVA’s medical center.
“I know that it’s a very important thing – especially for the families that can be suffering and are needing a place of comfort," she says. "Going to the Ronald McDonald house is really rewarding and has shown me all the generosity and all the kindness that everyone does and can spread around and how much it can make someone else’s day.”
And high school students like Katelyn Cusick can volunteer at the local animal shelter.
“We walk dogs. We bake treats for them, we help clean out their cages. We make enrichment for them to help keep their brains occupied.”
Others choose to work for the Special Olympics, the Paramount Theater, in pre-school classes or places that serve senior citizens. It’s all in line with the official mission of St. Anne’s-Belfield according to Head of School, Autumn Graves.
“We want our students to be strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart, responsive in soul. I see the role of civic engagement as an important part of that," she explains. "How do we think about building solidarity with those who are part of our community in different ways? How do you put your knowledge and your experiences into action to be in service to others with the idea that when one boat rises, they all rise?”
She thinks civic engagement builds self-awareness and a better understanding of the wider world.
“We want our students to believe there is something bigger than themselves – that there is purpose outside of yourself, and I think when you do that, then once our students become eligible to vote, I think they make a more informed voting decision.”
There’s a class for high school seniors called 21st century citizenship, field trips to observe Virginia’s Supreme Court, and classroom discussion of how to have productive exchanges rather than fights.
“We teach them how to ask questions respectfully, how to figure out when is the right time to ask those questions, and I think our families have bought into this," Graves says.
Students learn to think deeply about issues, to understand what’s happening in our economy and government. School head Graves says kids can then plan and implement programs that make a difference in the lives of others.
“I think that students often times can see solutions in really different ways, because they’re not so jaded or confined or so quick to realize what could be a downside or a negative. I want to encourage young people to not feel that they have to wait until they’re an adult to do something. It just takes one spark. That’s what I think we need more of in our world."
