One of the lesser-known facts about Woods Charter School is our commitment to service. Our founders valued service so highly that they made it a 50-hour requirement for our high school graduates, twice that of many other local schools. Service can come in many forms, and it not uncommon to see students double, triple, or quadruple that minimum requirement by the time they get to senior year.
Some spend their time with our furry friends at the Goathouse Refuge, some volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, building homes or working in the ReStore. Others spend their time whipping up interest in a Food Drive, Blood Drive, or even helping out at the Fire Department or local Assisted Living facility. Others look closer to home by engaging in our wider school community: volunteering for WoodsRock, running (or should I say, organizing) the Into the Woods 5k race, and providing childcare during after-hours events,
If you're really adventurous, you could take it even further afield. This group, pictured above, is currently in Guatemala for spring break. Their goal is to build two homes during their stay, with the help and guidance of local organization From Houses to Homes. This is the second year this trip has run, but the third time in Guatemala for high school math teacher Amanda Ketner. She helped kick start this adventure back in 2012 along with parents Troy and Dawn Phillips. If you want to get an idea of their experiences, you can download some great pictures from their 2012 blog. But if you really want to know exactly what's going on this year.....well, you can! The students are live-blogging each day, sharing their experiences in real time: http://woodsguatemala2014.blogspot.com/
At Woods, we "value an awareness of and engagement with the world that compels students to active lives of service." How far afield will it take you?
Some spend their time with our furry friends at the Goathouse Refuge, some volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, building homes or working in the ReStore. Others spend their time whipping up interest in a Food Drive, Blood Drive, or even helping out at the Fire Department or local Assisted Living facility. Others look closer to home by engaging in our wider school community: volunteering for WoodsRock, running (or should I say, organizing) the Into the Woods 5k race, and providing childcare during after-hours events,
If you're really adventurous, you could take it even further afield. This group, pictured above, is currently in Guatemala for spring break. Their goal is to build two homes during their stay, with the help and guidance of local organization From Houses to Homes. This is the second year this trip has run, but the third time in Guatemala for high school math teacher Amanda Ketner. She helped kick start this adventure back in 2012 along with parents Troy and Dawn Phillips. If you want to get an idea of their experiences, you can download some great pictures from their 2012 blog. But if you really want to know exactly what's going on this year.....well, you can! The students are live-blogging each day, sharing their experiences in real time: http://woodsguatemala2014.blogspot.com/
At Woods, we "value an awareness of and engagement with the world that compels students to active lives of service." How far afield will it take you?