As part of the TCIS Houses Program in Elementary and Middle Schools, K-8 students recently engaged in an afternoon of community service.
Mixed student groups from Ebony, Gold, Ivory, and Platinum Houses "gloved up," grabbed some bags, and headed out into the community around the school to pick up trash. It was a beautiful sunny day to be outside, and all participants really seemed to enjoy the opportunity to do something meaningful together outdoors.
We had the opportunity to tag along with a group from Ivory house as they cleaned up their part along the stream, just down from the school gate.
There were a couple of things we thought about as we walked around. First, the Houses program is great for building community across grades and sharing meaningful learning opportunities between students of different ages. Secondly, we thought about how important it is for children to know about the many different communities they are a part of and have opportunities to hold responsibility in each.