Service Learning
Begin your story of global citizenship and action.
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Service learning is a critical component of a child's development at Sacred Heart, as it fosters both academic growth and social-emotional skills. By integrating community service with structured learning, students not only apply academic knowledge in real-world contexts but also develop empathy, leadership, and civic responsibility. Recent studies have shown that students engaged in service learning exhibit:
- Improved problem-solving skills
- Higher engagement in school
- Increased motivation to succeed academically
- Greater levels of self-efficacy and community connection
- Cultural literacy
- Increased resilience
At Sacred Heart, service learning is a life-shaping experience deeply rooted in Goal III of our founding principles: a social awareness which impels to action.
From students as young as 3, parents, and faculty and staff, our entire community is encouraged to engage in direct service, advocacy, and outreach to promote justice, peace, and care for creation. Social awareness and community service are woven into the fabric of our school’s identity, with students participating in age-appropriate volunteer work, fundraising, and donation drives as part of daily life.
All Families
Parents join faculty and staff to organize and support students’ efforts, modeling a personal commitment to social awareness and community service. Active parental involvement is especially important to food/clothing/toiletry drives and off-campus Middle School projects, as well as other opportunities to serve throughout the year.
All Students
Students take part in Outreach Out of Uniform Fridays to raise funds for the school's diverse group of Community Partners. They also host Penny Peace Challenges to raise money for our sister schools in Uganda. Additionally, they participate in the Howard Area Community Center Winter Joy Program, in which students are encouraged to work with their parents to raise or earn the money needed to buy gifts and necessities requested by client families.
At all grades, Sacred Heart educators use service learning as an opportunity to expand academic skills such as problem-solving, cultural literacy, and critical thinking, enhancing students' ability to connect classroom knowledge with real-world issues.
Preschool through Kindergarten
Students begin to understand the importance of sharing and helping whenever they can. The students engage in collecting food for area pantries, making posters promoting Earth Day and putting them up around the school, planting our vegetable and herb garden from seed, delivering items from our spring Farmers Market to a Care For Real Pantry truck and creating decorations for International Night to help celebrate our school’s diversity.
1st through 4th Grade
Students make personal care kits for our Community Partners, clean up neighboring beaches, promote shoe, coat and toiletry collections throughout the school; collect and sort donations, learn about families who are homeless, make decorations and placemats for Inspiration Cafe at Thanksgiving, clean up in parks and beaches near school, and go to Cradles to Crayons for a hands-on service experience.
5th through 6th Grade
Students can participate in SOAP (Service, Outreach, Advocacy and Philanthropy), a group that provides leadership on charitable and conservation efforts. They make blankets to share with our Community Partners and maintain the raised bed gardens in Berger Park. 6th graders participate in a day-long service learning retreat where they visit our Community Partners. Classes or Advisories write pen pal letters to assist adult learners at our Community Partners.
7th through 8th Grade
Justice Tuesdays is a unique program at Sacred Heart in which a group of 7th and 8th graders leave campus weekly to engage with SHS Community Partners in service learning projects. Students are assigned a partner organization for the year and build meaningful relationships through volunteer work, research, and reflection. This hands-on experience is integrated into our academic curriculum, especially in religious education. Sacred Heart educators use Justice Tuesdays to deepen students' understanding of complex social issues, as well as fostering respectful dialogue and critical thinking. The program also enhances academic skills, preparing students for the rigorous discussions and analytical mindsets required at the high school level.
Tapping into our Network
For decades, the Network of Sacred Heart Schools has offered enriching opportunities for students to learn and serve in alongside students, faculty, and staff from other Sacred Heart schools. Through the Network, we are happy to be able to offer our students a chance to live out Goal III in a memorable way. These programs are open to current students in grades 6 and 7 and current 8th grade students that will attend a Sacred Heart Network school in the subsequent fall. For more information, click here.