This year, the Engage for Change team has set up Google Classrooms for each grade where students can upload their forms and photos after they complete their events. An important change this year is that students no longer need to get a signature from the organization they are working with, but instead should take a photo at some point during their time of service. In addition, students complete a series of questions on the form about the organization and about the time they spent volunteering.
The Engage for Change team, led by seniors Jade W and Ronan S, and faculty sponsor Sandra Ramirez, sends weekly emails with event suggestions for students, as well as links to organizations with ongoing volunteer opportunities. In addition, they forward the information that the PA Community Service committee circulates as yet another option for students.
There are still some high school students who have not completed their Engage for Change events this trimester. For the next 2 weeks, Allison and Margaret will be sitting in the lobby during lunch to check in with each student who has not yet completed their service. We will work together with students to help them make a plan to get engaged with an organization they are interested in learning more about, and we will help them find a day and time that they can commit to.
Families, we welcome your help and partnership with this as well–please talk with your students about their Engage for Change work this fall . . . remind them to upload their forms on Google Classroom if they haven’t already, and help them schedule events if they still need to.
We are grateful for the opportunities our LREI high school students have had to learn from the incredible people who serve our communities in NYC everyday. And we are so proud of the time and energy our kids have given to these essential programs . . . by the end of the school year, at the pace we are going, we will have completed more than 1,500 events of service. We think this student-designed, student-led program would make Elisabeth Irwin pretty proud!