20      THE EAGLE GRATITUDE REPORT 2025-2026	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
   
One of the goals of St. Michael’s Strategic Plan 
is that, by 2027, we will be fully living into our core 
identity and practice as an Episcopal school. A 
key part of that work has been expanding acts of 
service, community outreach, and social justice 
through developmentally appropriate curriculum and 
experiences across grade levels.
While service has long been a part of life at St. 
Michael’s, our faculty has spent the last several years 
reexamining how we approach Service Learning and 
how it can be woven more intentionally throughout 
a student’s educational journey. Our goal is that 
students develop lasting habits of service and come 
to see how they can help make God’s world better 
for all while living out our mission of “educating for 
lives of meaning and purpose.”
At its core, Service 
Learning combines 
academic learning, 
community service, 
and reflection. Students 
connect classroom 
learning to real-world 
needs while developing 
empathy, collaboration, critical thinking, and 
civic responsibility. Just as importantly, they are 
encouraged to reflect on their experiences and 
consider how their own gifts and passions might be 
used in service to others.
A recent Seventh Grade project illustrates this 
approach in action. Building on the Kiva microloan 
program introduced through World Religions with Mr. 
Hawes, students were challenged by the Seventh 
Grade advisory team to create a product or service 
that would generate a profit to donate to Kiva, a 
nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs around the 
world through small loans. Drawing on lessons from 
English, Math, Religion, and even Physical Education, 
students developed business plans, applied for up 
to $10 in seed funding from Student Council, and 
launched their own microbusinesses. Students sold 
lemonade at sporting events, walked dogs, offered 
cleaning services, and explored other entrepreneurial 
ideas. By the end of the project, the class had earned 
Purpose in Action
A LOOK AT SERVICE LEARNING AT ST. MICHAEL'S SCHOOL
Story by The Rev. Kristin Neilly Barberia | School Chaplain
$868, repaid $117 in loans 
and interest to Student 
Council, and generated 
$751 in profit. Combined 
with repayments from 
previous Kiva loans, these 
funds allowed students 
to allocate $100 loans 
to nine entrepreneurs 
around the world. After 
researching each opportunity, students selected the recipients 
they believed would have the greatest impact. More 
importantly, students experienced firsthand how thoughtful 
stewardship and collective action can create meaningful 
change.
Throughout the 2025–26 school year, faculty teams have 
continued to expand service 
opportunities that flow naturally 
from grade-level curriculum. 
Whether students are learning 
about global entrepreneurship, 
environmental stewardship, local 
community needs, or issues of 
social justice, each experience 
is designed to deepen 
understanding while fostering meaningful connections beyond 
the classroom.
Our ultimate goal is that every St. Michael’s graduate leaves 
having encountered a variety of forms of service, explored a 
range of social issues, and begun to discover where their own 
passions lie. We want students to understand that service is not 
simply something we do; it is part of who we are.
As an Episcopal school, we are called to seek and serve Christ 
in all persons and to strive for justice and peace among all 
people. Service Learning provides students with authentic 
opportunities to live out those values. In doing so, we hope 
they come to embrace our mission of “educating for lives of 
meaning and purpose”—not for themselves alone, but for the 
greater good.
The impact of this work cannot always be measured in hours 
served or dollars raised. Its success is found in the empathy 
students develop, the relationships they build, and the growing 
understanding that even small acts, when rooted in compassion 
and purpose, can make a meaningful difference in the world.
      We want students to understand 
that service is not simply something we 
do; it is part of who we are.

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.