Service Learning

Falmouth Elementary School students participate in Service Learning activities throughout the school year such as:

• Senior Teacher visits to local retirement communities.
• Connections with the elders throughout our community including writing cards to Veterans to celebrate Veterans Day and decorating placemats for in room meals. 
• A Community Action Heroes unit with students identifying a problem within the community, problem solving, and creating a solution as a class.
• The Growing Valentine's Project which has students grow bulbs and decorate containers to distribute to local retirements communities. 
• A school-wide every other month collection for the Falmouth Food Pantry has students bring in donations the Pantry has identified as their most urgent need for local families.

Falmouth Middle School students participate in Service Learning activities throughout the school year such as:

• Grade-wide efforts including 7th Grade Changemakers and 8th Grade Days of Service (three times a year) are supported and give students an opportunity to explore local and global challenges and the people and organizations addressing them, develop their own ideas for solutions, and learn what they can do to help their community by exploring a variety of social service organizations. 
• The FMS Service Club provides ongoing opportunities for students to engage in service activities.
• Led by 7th grade teachers, the Give-A-Thon raises money for nonprofits through a 45-minute school-wide event where students are sponsored to participate in activities like crafting, dancing, reading, four square, and hiking.

A large variety of opportunities are offered for in-school and out-of-school service to help students gain new experiences, contribute to the community, learn about themselves, develop new skills and confidence, and reach their service hour graduation requirements. 

• On campus examples include making birthday and holiday cards for local elders, volunteering at FES art class, FES recess, FES technology class, kindergarten library time, Pre-K lunch and recess, and in elementary and middle school classrooms.
• AP Psychology students explore human development by visiting FES and FMS classrooms to observe students at different stages of cognitive and social growth. The visits allow students to reflect on their own developmental changes while connecting observed behaviors to the theories they've studied in class.
• Dream Dancers: HS students volunteer weekly with the FES SEAS I & II students for a movement class.
• Elevate: HS students volunteer twice a week with a group of 5th grade students before elementary school starts their day. Along with the guidance of the Service Learning Department, high school volunteers guide and interact with fifth grade students through various exercises to elevate their heart rate. Research indicates that exercise helps students think, problem solve, and help them prepare for their school day.
• Out-of-school service includes supporting local organizations such as Furniture Friends, Animal Refuge League, the Falmouth Food Pantry, Preble Street, Habitat for Humanity, and Falmouth Land Trust. Multiple opportunities are also available for connections with local senior living facilities. 
• Weekend and week-long service trips are run throughout the year to support organizations such as Habitat for Humanity (locally and in other states), school and community organizations in Guatemala, and Maine Huts and Trails. 
• The HS Service Club has over 125 members who are involved in service activities on and off campus.

Read about the Community Service high school graduation requirements.