GOT $100? WHO WOULD YOU GIVE IT TO?
Trinity School Elementary School Students Present Five $100 Donations
and “Heart of Trinity Awards” to Local Charities
Upon graduation, Grade 5 students at Trinity School have earned the honor and privilege of deciding who should receive a $100 donation and their respected “Heart of Trinity Award”.
The award decisions culminate the students’ many community service experiences. Grade 5 students work in teams to reflect on the organizations they have come to know. Each team selects an organization to receive a $100 donation and the “Heart of Trinity Award” as representative of five values the students want to promote as part of their Trinity School legacy: basic needs, environment, animals, fitness, and peace.
Kathy Hoekenga, Grade 5 Trinity School Teacher, says “I love incorporating service learning projects into my curriculum. My students are mature enough to grasp the severity of many world problems, and rather than getting depressed or overwhelmed, our program gives them a tangible way to provide help.”
This year the five awards and donation money, which was collected through fundraising activities by all of the Trinity School students throughout the year, were presented to Save the Bay, Habitat for Humanity, East Palo Alto YMCA, World Wildlife Fund, and Invisible Children.
Trinity School students in every grade, preschool through Grade 5, participate in multiple service learning projects each year to benefit their local and distant communities. By the time they graduate, they have made lunches for the homeless, assembled dog and cat toys for animal shelters, educated others on how to waste less plastic, and more.
Photo: Grade 5 Trinity School students present the “Heart of Trinity Award” and a $100 donation to Jamin Sartor, Development and Marketing Officer, of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco.
Service Learning, a common phrase used to describe collaborative community service projects in education and a key element in 21st Century Learning, is a core value of Trinity School and a major expression of the School’s Episcopal identity.
The right size to give each child a voice, Trinity School is an independent preschool through elementary school in Menlo Park, CA. Visit www.trinity-mp.org for more information about the School and program.