Service Learning

The Service Learning program is a critical component of a CCES education. As a Christian school, CCES is committed to developing a servant attitude in our students through service learning. The Service Learning program at CCES strives to develop within all students a personal value system of responsibility to the community. In each division, students are exposed to many different service opportunities, allowing them to explore their own personal gifts and interests.

For additional information, please contact Elizabeth Jarrett, Director of Service Learning at jarrette@cces.org.

Starting in the Earliest Grades

The Service Learning program at CCES focuses in four critical areas: health, education, culture, and environment. Students start in the earliest grades by learning to serve their school community, then step out to make a difference in the wider Greenville community. Ultimately, they begin to address global needs. Through this approach the lifelong practice of “giving back” becomes part of the moral development of every student at the school.

In the Lower and Middle Schools, students participate in service at the grade level, with small groups being taken each week into the community. The Service Learning Coordinator plans and implements age-appropriate projects for each grade. In addition, schoolwide service projects, such as visiting and helping families in need during the holiday season, reinforce the emphasis on serving others throughout the year.

Student-Initiated Service Projects

Many times students will see a need in the community and respond to it on their own or with the help of their classmates. For example, after visiting a local soup kitchen, students realized the importance of simple items such as soap. They came back to school and started a collection of travel-size soaps, shampoos, and other hygiene items.

Service projects are also used to expand what students are learning in the classroom. For example, third-graders visit Greenville Place to play bingo with the elderly Alzheimer’s patients as part of their study of the brain.

A Requirement in the Upper School

Upper School students have many different avenues for involvement in community service. All students are required to volunteer 15 hours a year with service projects approved by the Service Learning Coordinator. In addition, ample opportunities are provided throughout the year for the students to participate as a group. For example, generally 75 to 100 of our students volunteer to be buddies each year to the athletes participating in the Special Olympics.

Giving Back as a Lifelong Practice

The premise of the Service Learning program at CCES is fairly simple: we want our students to realize that they have a responsibility to take care of themselves, take care of others, and take care of our environment. We provide them with opportunities to give back to the community and to reflect on that experience. Our ultimate goal is to develop students who are engaged and empowered to play their part in changing the world.

Service Learning Activities