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Community Service

St. Andrew's College encourages Middle School students to volunteer a minimum of 15 hours by the end of Grade 8. The hours may be completed at any time during Grades 5 to 8 (holidays included), and must be recorded on the Community Service recording sheet, and submitted to Amy Hewson in University Counselling in order for students to be properly accredited. Any hours completed in Middle School will be counted toward the Middle School Community Service Pins recognizing 15, 50, 100, and 300 hours of volunteering, or toward any of the Upper School Community Service pins or tie. However, Middle School hours will not be counted toward the 40 hours required for secondary school graduation and the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

COMMUNITY GIVING PROJECT
Introduced in 2015, the Middle School Community Giving Project sends students in Grades 5 to 8 out into the community to make an impact, acquire new skills, achieve personal growth, and learn about the world around them.
 
The other important piece to the Community Giving Project is that it affords our boys an opportunity to practice the human qualities of empathy and compassion. “As a school, we are continually striving to provide our students with strong ideals set in character education,” says Sabrina D’Angelo, Director of Middle School.
 
“Instilling kindness, respect, and empathy has become part of our culture and is a priority in fulfilling the School's mission to develop the complete man - which includes becoming empathetic and caring young individuals,” she says.
 
This unique community-service program, led by Randi Berman, Middle School Giving Project Coordinator, is now entrenched in the curriculum. Six afternoons a year, between September and May, students devote their time in a variety of ways, doing everything from stocking shelves at food banks and making snacks at shelters to cleaning parks and playing bingo with seniors.
 
The program launched with 10 organizations and has since grown to more than 25.
 
The program’s goal is to instill an enduring sense of engagement, which will at best spillover for life, or at least carry forward to Upper School when 40 hours of community service is a Ministry-mandated pre-requisite for graduation. By Upper School, participants in the Community Giving Project will have visited a significant number of organizations and have a good idea about where they want to go to fulfill their 40 hours.
 
The gains that our boys, and our community as a whole, have made through the Community Giving Project journey have been truly amazing,” says Mrs. D’ Angelo. “It has completely exceeded my expectations and vision for this program; our boys are developing into model citizens and this program plays a significant role in this development.”
 
If you have any questions, please contact one of the following:

Joe Commisso, Head of Community Service
Nikki McDaniel, University Counselling, Community Service Hours
Randi Berman, Middle School Community Service, Community Giving Project 
St. Andrew's College
15800 Yonge Street, Aurora, ON L4G 3H7 Canada
Tel: 905-727-3178
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