Service Learning

Each year, students in 4th grade explore what it means to be an upstander in our community by researching people - especially kids - and local organizations who are making positive change in the world. They then consider their own interests, values, and skills to determine where they themselves could stand up and create change. After selecting causes they are passionate about, students get to work by volunteering at organizations around Chicago and seeing first-hand how their efforts can make a difference. For example, students recently visited Digs with Dignity to help refinish donated items to furnish homes for people experiencing housing instability or homelessness. To reflect on their experiences, students create their very own podcasts to share what they have learned and how others can be upstanders, too.

Each year, Catherine Cook 8th graders complete an overnight retreat at the Br. David Darst Center in Chicago's West Lawn neighborhood. During this immersive experience, students have the opportunity to learn about various social justice issues in Chicago and how certain populations are disproportionately affected. Through the Darst Center's partnerships with local community organizations, student have conversations with people experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, immigration challenges, and the effects of incarceration. By listening to their stories and completing onsite service projects, students are able to gain a new perspective, recognize the systemic nature of these issues, reflect on their own biases, and work to create change.

A 2nd grade classroom recently conducted a comprehensive equity audit of their most-frequented spaces around school: classrooms, playgrounds, the cafeteria, and building entrances. By viewing these environments through an accessibility lens, the students first established a vital distinction: while equality means everyone receives the same resources, equity ensures that everyone receives the specific support they need to fully participate and succeed. The audit revealed both physical and logistical barriers to accessibility. Armed with these findings, students created and presented proposals to Head of School Adam Fischer. Their advocacy led to immediate results: over the summer, the school installed clear, welcoming signage on the gym doors to guide community members and visitors safely and respectfully to an accessible building entrance.

Each year, the Catherine Cook community coordinates with the Alliance for the Great Lakes to clean up North Avenue Beach. Community members of all ages come together in support of our environment and to keep our city looking its best. It’s a great way to introduce service learning for our youngest students, and it’s a great way for families to come together to make change.

Inspired by the personal interest of one student, Middle School students completed a service trip to the Greater Chicago Food Depository where they spent two hours packaging food for local Chicagoans in need. They then learned about the impact of their work as the GCFD supervisors shared statistics about how many families they would feed thanks to their help.

Catherine Cook has had a longstanding partnership with UCAN, a local organization that supports youth and families through youth development, mental health assistance, therapeutic schools, and violence prevention. Cook holds an annual book drive to support the UCAN Take-Home Library, which is supported by Middle School advisories and has provided thousands of books to families at UCAN. This relationship has also crossed over to the faculty/staff community as they convened at one of UCAN’s schools to paint murals in their calm spaces.