Baskets of Cheer!
Baskets of Cheer!
November 30, 2018 at 5:01 PM
On the final day of their end of year programme, our Year 7 students lent a hand to a worthy cause. To finish their year with an element of service, the youngest boys and girls in the Middle College teamed with staff and volunteers from Presbyterian North Foodbank, to help prepare food hampers for families in need.
On the day prior, boxes and boxes and boxes of festive food fare were delivered into the open plan area at the girls’ end of the EMC Centre, along with towers of colourful buckets. At first sight, it almost looked like an impossible task!
The classrooms opening on to the central area were set up with factory-like precision and the newly formed army of volunteers were briefed. Adult volunteers from the Foodbank were also on hand to help supervise, assist packing and to answer any questions.
With a list of items to refer to, the students set off in pairs to ensure each of their buckets had each of the food items listed. Some students were tasked with packing, whilst those identified with ‘artistic flair’ were assigned the finishing touches to decorate with ribbons and bows. The final ‘sea’ of buckets was a sight to behold!
Presbyterian North staff said they were truly grateful for the assistance. Almost 400 baskets of cheer were prepared in the space of less than three hours, a task that used to take them more like three weeks for the few volunteers on hand!
The students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be of service to others. We hope that the baskets prepared will bring a moment of joy to families in need this Christmas.
SERVICE AT SAINT KENTIGERN
In keeping with our Mission Statement: ‘To provide education which inspires students to strive for excellence in all areas of life for the glory of God and the service of others,’ Saint Kentigern schools have a strong service ethic.
Service does not always have to be about big issues; it can be acts of kindness, consideration and compassion in the classroom, at home and in daily living. It is these little acts of service that build a foundation for moral reasoning later in life. Service learning allows our students to discover ‘their best selves’ and develop lifelong habits.
As our students progress from Preschool through Senior College, service opportunities at both school and community level abound. Students are encouraged to become involved with projects such as World Vision’s 20 or 40 Hour Famine, to contribute to food, shoe, clothing and stationery ‘banks’ that provide for those in the wider community who are less fortunate, and to understand the purpose and end result of Chapel offerings.
For our older students, meaningful service often takes them into a world of which they have no prior experience. Their willingness to offer help in these circumstances sets them apart.
Each year, teams from the Boys’ School, Girls’ School and Senior College have spent their July or October holidays assisting villages and schools in both Fiji and Vanuatu. Further across the globe, our Senior College students have travelled to Malawi to assist in a village Saint Kentigern supports through World Vision.
Closer to home, students are involved in community projects such as helping in reforestation projects, assisting at low decile schools though both play and material support, and assisting in special projects such as the Garden to Table programme, assisting with breakfast clubs, spending time with the elderly and a host of other activities.
These students enter their service opportunities sometimes not knowing what to expect but leave empowered by the emotional satisfaction of ‘a job well done’ and a wonderful learning experience.
To stay faithful to our Mission Statement, we will continue to provide opportunities for pupils to put service into action; for service to become an intrinsic part of every Saint Kentigern students’ outlook on life - to live The Saint Kentigern Way.
