This Friday, Crane Country Day School sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders will begin their winter break by giving back to the community through participation in the Day of Giving, a semi-annual tradition supporting Crane’s commitment to community and service learning.

The Day of Giving is an opportunity for students to engage in service projects throughout the Santa Barbara area, but it isn’t the first time in the year students are engaged in community projects.

Crane’s Upper School (grades 6 through 8) service learning course fosters a sense of civic responsibility, teaching students to care for one another and the world around them. Students work on both direct and indirect service learning projects allowing them to understand issues, research organizations, work collaboratively, volunteer off-campus, and reflect not only on the process but also on how their involvement relates to the common good.

In keeping with Crane’s program, this process is highly experiential.

Crane’s service learning coordinator, Hayward Kwit, explains: “Our Upper School program is unique in that students have ownership of their service projects from the beginning, giving them an opportunity to determine community needs and work through the steps to meet those needs.”

This semester, students chose to volunteer at ASAP Cat Shelter, Unity Shoppe, Community Action Commission Head Start and Storyteller Children’s Center.

Twice a year, in winter and in spring, student service is amplified by dedicating an entire morning to students volunteering with local organizations. This year students will be singing carols at Samarkand Retirement Community and Garden Court Independent Living, gleaning fruit for Backyard Bounty (a division of the Foodbank), stocking shelves at the Unity Shoppe and playing with preschoolers at Head Start in Carpinteria.

“Because these projects are student directed, the students are empowered throughout the entire process. They are experiencing themselves as philanthropists — donating their time and talent to make a positive impact,” Kwit said.

Crane students will head out for winter break knowing that their valuable efforts to give back to the community will resume in the new year.

Crane Country Day is a K-8 independent school dedicated to experiential education. The school’s curriculum balances rigorous academics with joyful learning. For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact Erin Guerra, director of admission, at 805.969.7732 x106 or click here.

— Julia Davis is the associate director of admission for Crane Country Day School.