Ever since WISH Community and Academy Schools opened our doors in 2009, service to the community has been at the heart of the WISH educational experience. Students at WISH begin engaging in service-learning projects in TK and continue to take on increasingly complex and impactful projects each year through 12th Grade. To date, WISH students have provided more than 80,000 service-learning hours in support of more than 200 activities and non-profit organizations.

 

Our goal is to create an environment where serving is simply a normal part of life--both at school and in our student’s everyday lives. We believe giving back to others builds students' confidence and social responsibility, while instilling in them a commitment to serve the community. Service-learning encourages students to build high-level thinking skills, develop important interpersonal skills, increases bonds with the local organizations and groups, and helps create a positive environment campus-wide.

Traditionally, each year the entire WISH community kicks off our school-wide, annual quarter of Service Learning with a beach clean up. Throughout the quarter, each grade participates in a service-learning project using the project-based learning model. Additionally, students in grades 6-12 are required to complete on average 20 hours of individual community service. At the end of the quarter of service, all students write an essay sharing their service-learning experiences, the impact that they've had on the community, and how they have grown from their service to others.

Over the years some of our past student projects have included: