Social Responsibility
A second-grader packs a box of art supplies for schools affected by flooding.
A fourth-grader hoes an already harvested field, collecting leftover sweet potatoes to donate to a local food bank.
A fifth-grader places a flag on the headstones of US veterans at historic Oakwood Cemetery.
On Earth Day, children plant trees, clean up campus trails, and collect used batteries for recycling.
These are small but significant actions. As we try to teach children about the joy of service, it can require more than one activity or lesson. The goal is cultivate empathy that lasts a lifetime.
The Importance of Empathy
The staff at The Raleigh School feels deeply about this issue, addressing it frequently in the classroom and in the community.
Each service activity, from preschool to fifth-grade, builds toward the goal of revealing the joys of service. At our school, part of the goal is to teach children how to serve, how to be connected to community so they are not adrift later. This empathy, this connection to others, this ability to serve, is as valuable as the other things they are taught.
Some grade-level activities at TRS are traditions, and others vary from year to year.
I believe that all children are born with the capacity to be empathetic and kind. … I also believe that it is our duty as adults to cultivate in our children sensitivity toward others and an understanding that in comparison to most children across the world, our children are extraordinarily blessed.
Bud Lichtenstein,
former Head of School
