Activating the DNA: reframing service and action in Alexandria
Celebrating service learning at Schutz American School in Alexandria, Egypt.
by Brian Lavender, Storyteller
Just as the human genome is open to forces that activate specific regions and traits, so it is with school communities such as that of Schutz American School in Alexandria, Egypt.
“Service is already part of our DNA,” explains Deborah Lacroix, V.P. of Schutz’s ES and MS Divisions. “We have been on a journey for the past few years starting with our youngest learners. As well, we already have a long, long history of service in our Middle School and High School.”
Making the case for going further to activate service learning throughout the curriculum, Deborah explains that Schutz American is “strengthening learning by ensuring greater meaning for the students. They’re seeing that what they learn is actually applicable in the broader world.”
LeeAnne Lavender, a service learning facilitator and coach who works with international school partners, spent a highly productive week in Alexandria earlier this year. She spent time with many Schutz educators, provided coaching about curricular service learning, and also made a presentation to the Schutz board of directors about the strategic value of service learning to their school mission and vision.
Deborah shares an example of LeeAnne’s impact as she refers to an elementary school field trip that was in the planning stages when LeeAnne visited the school. “LeeAnne helped demonstrate to me how quickly we can put a digital story into practice,” she recalls. “Students were busy doing field research and applying some of their learning. We did an excellent job at documenting the story, but she also really explicitly showed us what students learned in the process.”
“When we put all of their reflections together, we had a much richer, fuller picture of what they learned through that service learning experience,” adds Deborah.
Deborah considers, "When I reflect back on LeeAnne's visit, one of the things I appreciate is her way of affirming that service learning is not an add-on; it is something interwoven into the curriculum. I think that is really helpful for our teachers.”
Widening the positive impact of this emerging shift in perspective, LeeAnne was involved in a meeting on the Schutz campus with the Rotary Club of Alexandria which supports three active Interact clubs that foster action among youth in the community.
Karen Basmadjian, the school’s Admissions Registrar, MUN lead, and CAS co-ordinator, is also a strong proponent of nurturing a wider culture of service at Schutz. Karen would like to develop a robust website to support deeper student engagement in CAS, and spent time ideating with LeeAnne about the role of digital storytelling in meaningful reflection.
“Our students are inclined to express themselves well through video,” says Karen, who is exploring ways of helping students document and reflect more fully on their CAS experiences.
With a strong commitment to the journey, the Schutz community is taking its mission statement (to foster “confident global citizens”) seriously, and is working towards a more robust vision for all-school service learning.
Photos below, clockwise from top left: LeeAnne with VIP Deborah Lacroix; with Schutz Head of School Michael Schooler and Khartoum American School Head of School Bridget Davies; working with teams of teachers on service learning integration; sharing service learning stories with the Rotary Club of Alexandria; Schutz Interact students making a presentation to the Rotary Club.
