Service Learning
Every week students engage in some form of service learning. In 1652, following a “Leading from God,” Quakerism’s co-founder, Margaret Fell, began a centuries-long tradition of service. At great personal risk, she began visiting and caring for condemned children in the Lancaster County jail in England. From that point on, Quakers have had an unbroken commitment to helping those in need. All major religious traditions recognize the inherent value of service, both to the giver and to the receiver. In keeping with these traditions, and in order to develop the spirit of giving within each student, Friends School of Wilmington spends time each week engaged in developmentally appropriate service work.

Preschool students’ service work focuses on keeping their classroom environment clean and tidy. Younger elementary students may stay on campus to work on landscaping projects, or clean up trash around the campus and surrounding properties. Older elementary and middle school students rotate through a variety of service learning activities both on and off campus. Students may collect food at local grocery stores for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, make sandwiches and cookies for the Good Shepherd House, spend time working with the elderly or with very young children at Head Start or the Child Development Center. Through service learning we work to instill a sense of responsibility for our fellow human beings, a sense of stewardship for the Earth, and a desire to act with kindness, generosity and integrity toward others.