Hubbard Woods Month of Community Service
To honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Hubbard Woods Teachers and PTO worked together to expand our traditional MLK Day of Service to a meaningful month-long study of communities, justice, and service to others. Through lessons and hands-on projects, students learned that they can be the driving force for change, the vehicles of service and creators of a welcoming community. Please keep reading for more detailed information on all the ways their work made an incredible impact. Be sure to ask your children about it too!
Week One: Hubbard Woods School
Students discussed their immediate school community and how they could make it a more welcoming and inclusive space. Each classroom came up with their own ideas, including creating welcoming affirmation hearts to display, observing ways our school could be more accessible and writing a letter to Ms. Carmody about these changes, collecting lost and found items from the playground, and making welcome cards for new HW families. Students felt proud of the thoughtful ways they contributed to their school community!
Week Two: New Trier Food Pantry
Students engaged via zoom with the NT Food Pantry’s Community Service Administrator to learn about poverty on the North Shore and the essential role the Pantry has played in helping our community for many years, especially as demands have increased during the pandemic. Students created dry goods bags containing essential paper goods like toilet paper and paper towels. Along with food items, these bags are given to each individual who visits the Pantry. Hubbard Woods students packaged and donated 200 dry goods bags!
Week Three: Local Senior Community
Students learned that one way we can stand up for justice and serve our communities is to connect with and learn from each other. Students interacted with elders at a local senior community and heard their lessons learned over the years. One senior had just turned 108! She shared many wise words about being a good friend, listening to others and finding ways to help. Each classroom also created Valentine’s Day cards and decor for display at the community home. The seniors were thrilled to receive hundreds of lovingly handcrafted projects!
Week Four: National Diaper Pantry
Hubbard Woods partnered with Bundled Blessings in Evanston, a local affiliate of the National Diaper Pantry. Students watched a video interview with the founders and learned about diaper insecurity and how it affects families. Classes then packed diaper bundles with diapers donated by PTO and HW families. These bundles are made available at no cost to families at Bundled Blessings. Hubbard Woods donated 7,182 diapers!
