Community involvement
Wildwood sees each student as a leader who can make a difference in the world. Students learn to become stewards of positive social change through their contributions to the common good of their school, local, and global community. They fulfill this commitment through a variety of projects that extend their experience beyond the classroom walls.
In elementary school, children help with a local food bank and organize book drives. The student Green Team supports recycling, spreads awareness about the environment, and holds the school's annual "Trashion Show," featuring clever costumes made from household cast-offs.
In middle and upper school, community involvement is structured by grade and division, and features classroom curriculum that ties into onsite work experiences:
• Sixth graders work with a local child services
agency. This year, they've designed and
implemented a garden that is both functional
and beneficial.
• Seventh and 8th graders pair up with local
nursing homes and take leadership in
planning and implementing activities that
benefit the nursing home residents.
• Ninth and 10th graders alternate years at
the Westside Children's Center and St.
Joseph Center, a nonprofit agency that
provides services to the homeless and
families in need. At the Children's Center,
they serve as assistant teachers. At St.
Joseph's, they work in the café,
administrative offices, and child care
facilities.
• Juniors spend a semester working at one of
the school's two campuses or at a local
non-profit agency. At the school, students
may serve as a teacher's aide, work in an
office, help in the library, or write for various
school publications. At local non-profits,
students tutor, work with animals, perform
office duties, or assist the service agency's
staff in various tasks.
• In the second semester of their junior year
and their entire senior year, students intern
at a local worksite based on their career
interest. For juniors and seniors, internships
and community involvement are considered
academic classes, and students are
assessed on the work they complete.
