Eighth Graders' Community Service and Reflections

Just before winter break, eighth graders participated in a service-learning project called D-Term. Named after former Middle School Head Linda Douglass, the D-Term project entails learning, serving and reflecting in a variety of ways.
 
Leading up to D-Term, from September until mid-December, Middle School students’ Thursday Chapel services featured guest speakers from several local nonprofit organizations, including Trinity Center, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Blue Dog Rescue, Helping Hand Home, Community First!, Casa Marianella, Family Eldercare, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Austin Groups for the Elderly, and Central Texas Food Bank, which provided students with a deeper understanding of each group’s work in the community. In addition, in Theology classes, students worked on research papers about local social issues and organizations that address them.
 
On December 19 and 20, students split into groups and volunteered off campus for a variety of local nonprofits serving the larger Austin community. They volunteered at Thundering Paws (animal rescue), Open My World (therapeutic riding center), KIPP Elementary School, Lyons Gardens (Family Eldercare residential facility), Brodie Ranch (rehabilitation center), City of Austin Watershed Protection Department (storm drain marking), Goodwill GreenWorks (computer recycling), Doss Elementary School (refugee students) and Casa Marianella (refugee/asylee safehouse), as well as making and delivering care packages to homeless people downtown. 
 
Following D-Term, students synthesized what they learned from their research, off-campus volunteer work and reflections on their experiences, and presented their findings to their classmates. In January and February, they will present these findings to the rest of the Middle School during a series of special Chapel services.
 
“Our hope is that their D-Term experiences will raise students’ awareness of community problems and inspire them to serve,” said English teacher and 8th grade team leader Miriam Murtuza, Ph.D., who helped organize the program.
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