Service Learning Overview
"If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
-Lilla Watson (Aboriginal Australian artist, activist, academic)
The Overlake School’s mission to champion students and their vast potential through engaging educational experiences in a diverse and inclusive community is carried out through community-engaged service learning. Students are introduced to the complex needs of their community, invited to collaborate and problem-solve with non-profit organizations, and encouraged to engage in lifelong service by pursuing an area of interest. Students employ knowledge, skills, talents and interests to engage civically and think critically resulting in positive change for themselves and the communities they serve. Through well-planned experiences and personal reflection, students gain an understanding of their role as responsible, caring citizens. Moreover, research indicates that students engaged in service during high school are more likely to remain civically-engaged adults. Youth involvement in Service Learning programs leads to higher rates of voting, volunteerism and improved academic success (Corporation for National and Community Service, 2008).
Scope
Overlake students participate in two school-wide service days: Stewardship Day on campus in the Fall and Community-Engaged Service Day off-campus in the Spring. Seniors only participate in Stewardship Day, as they are participating in their Senior Projects in the Spring. For both days, Advisors act as facilitators by structuring the learning experience before, during and after the experience to support student learning and reinforce a meaningful reflection process. In the Spring, students are grouped by advisory in activities rooted in grade-level themes. The thematic structure is designed to create experiences that are varied, connected to curriculum, and supportive of actual needs expressed by non-profits in the community.
Grade-level themes include:
- 5th Grade: Caring for Public Spaces
- 6th Grade: Exploring Ecosystems & Habitats
- 7th Grade: Facing Poverty and Hunger
- 8th Grade: Engaging with Community (Social Services)
- 9th Grade: Maintaining Environmental Stewardship
- 10th Grade: Reducing Food Insecurity & Hunger
- 11th Grade: Strengthening Communities (Social Services & Social Justice)
Students select from many experiential learning options during our spring Project Week. Among the offerings are local, domestic, and international service-based experiences. Past projects have included serving local non-profits, disaster relief, Habitat for Humanity projects, and teaching in Redmond schools or internationally in Cambodia and Uruguay. Project leaders instill goals and expectations during the months leading up to Project Week to prepare students and promote an enriching experience for them and participating communities. Students complete journals, assignments, and/or self-evaluations to capture and reflect upon their learning outcomes.
Service-based opportunities exist across the academic curriculum through delivery by classroom teachers. Whether engaging in political action, learning from government or non-profit leaders, producing art to raise awareness for a cause or taking action for environmental justice, students learn about complex issues and have opportunities to take action to better their world.
View our Experiential Education curriculum to learn more about our department’s courses.
Go to Graduation Requirement to review student Service Hour expectations.
Student Resources
Students, please log in to view and submit service hours, or go directly to your dashboard at MyOverlake to view all student-specific content.
Contact
José Gonzalez
Experiential Education Department Chair
jgonzalez@overlake.org
425-602-7009