Third Grade Students Define Philanthropy and Recognize its Importance to and Effects on the Community

 

The annual third grade philanthropy project kicked off this spring with Assistant Head for Advancement, Jamie Inman posing the question, “What is philanthropy?" and "How can you make a difference?"  Third graders met in the chapel for a brief discussion surrounding these questions and ended on the chapel veranda participating in a marble activity.  With marbles and water, they learned how one act could create ripples in a community.  Afterwards, students wrote their very own mission sentence on cards.  Their prompt was, “How can you make an impact?”  The cards are now displayed in the third grade hall.

 

Next, Director of Service and Experiential Learning, Elizabeth Jarrett and Service Learning Coordinator, Kaytina Mills met with the students to discuss and highlight CCES's impact in the community.  This included an overview of community service projects around the school.  Ms. Jarrett and Ms. Mills introduced the ‘hygiene and toiletries collection’ project to make hygiene bags for the United Ministries.  Students also worked with Lower School Technology Teacher Robin Yerkes to make cards to go in the bags.  Students assembled bags during Christian Education classes with Ms. Jarrett and Ms. Mills.

 

During regular class time, third graders read the novel, Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate, to learn about how food insecurity and homelessness affects children and their families.  “The students made incredible and empathetic connections with the book,” said Third Grade Teacher Marianne Martin, “as well as how it impacts people in Greenville and beyond.”

 

The connections made in the third grade during this impactful and meaningful IB unit will stay with these students for a long time.  What a fantastic hands-on learning experience designed by our third grade team of teachers with so many other faculty contributors!