Community Service

Lower School Community Service Program

Social responsibility is fostered at the Lower School level by teaching the students that they have rights and responsibilities. Community service experience teaches students that there is an outcome for every action. Service is an action with a positive outcome, and students in Grades K-3 participate by sharing baked goods and singing songs with senior citizens in the DeSoto area. Students also participate in school wide food drives and the collection of items for homeless pets. A highlight at Christmas is our third grade art class decoration of the old school house at Heritage Park (Old City Park). This service brings joy to all who visit the site, and allows our students to experience the difference in schools from past years to present day modern facilities.

Upper Elementary Community Service Program

The Upper Elementary is intentional about fulfilling the mission of developing social responsibility in their students. Opportunities for leadership and service are often provided through school services as well as the community. The Upper Elementary leads the campus wide paper recycling effort both through raising awareness and being responsible for disposal throughout the school year. Each Upper Elementary student also has applied for and been appointed a leadership role which meets the needs in the classroom such as peer mentor, paper distributor, and critter keeper. The sixth grade leadership team fulfills broader roles which benefit the entire division such as greeters, office and library helpers, and lost and found patrol. It is evident that these service and leadership opportunities build confidence in the students. They demonstrate the ability to both identify and meet the needs of the school and local communities they serve.

Middle School Community Service Program

Middle School students at Canterbury work to help their community by assisting at the North Texas Food Bank. Working with peers is an important part of student development in the middle school years. The Middle School students volunteer as a group to help sort food, stock shelves, and assemble meals at the North Texas Food Bank. The food bank staff has been highly complimentary of our students’ hard work and results during their hands-on volunteering. Some students have gone on to commit their own time, with their families, to this important community resource.

Upper School Community Service Program

Community Service is an important part of the educational component at The Canterbury Episcopal School. It is the means by which the school community fulfills the school’s mission statement, “inspiring in each student…a sense of social responsibility.” Canterbury requires students in Grades 9-12 to participate in community service. Each student is required to complete 15 hours each year beginning in Grade 9. comm serv upper sch 2 Additional service hours are highly recommended, but not mandatory. Research has shown that students who are involved in giving back to their community have stronger leadership skills and are more successful in school. Canterbury students have been involved in service to Bryan’s House, the Austin Street Center, and The Ronald MacDonald House among others.