校友反思服务学习

葡京娱乐场官网请葡京娱乐场官网的校友反思他们在拉文斯克罗夫特有意义的服务学习经历. Here’s what three Ravens from three different decades had to say.

“Bake sales, raffles, cake walks” — and a foundation for future service

在这张1983年的乌鸦队年鉴照片中， 凯莉·迪纳·阿尔斯波83年(左二)与一位微笑的首都大厦居民和其他少女们合影 玛丽·凯瑟琳·邦恩·约翰逊83年, 吉娜·诺曼·利金斯86年的作品, 斯蒂芬妮·海恩斯86年的作品 and 莎朗·马奥尼，86年.

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作为少女团的一员, Ravenscroft’s all-female service club, 我记得糕饼义卖, raffles and cake walks to raise money for our various initiatives. Over the years, the Damsels adopted families in need at Christmas, 拜访脑瘫中心的孩子们，为老师们制作复活节纸兔子. 我印象最深的是去养老院看望老居民. We’d sing songs and serve refreshments. 这对他们来说意义重大. 我记得年鉴照片上的那个女人，她看起来很高兴和葡京娱乐场官网在一起.

I enjoyed being president of Damsels in my senior year. Later on, I served as president of my sorority. 我和我的三个女儿一起参加了全国慈善联盟. As a physician, I’ve gone on mission trips to countries such as Nicaragua, 卢旺达和危地马拉——在这些地方，我可以与当地机构合作，利用我的技能帮助他们所服务的人. Today, I’m a partner in an all-female dermatology practice. 对我来说，很有趣的是，我的很多服务都是为其他女性服务的. 我想那些早期和我的少女同伴们的经历在很多重要的方面塑造了我. 他们确实为我提供了一个基础，让服务成为我生活中正常的一部分.

在我从危地马拉回来之后, 我帮助了一个阿富汗移民家庭，他们突然发现自己需要帮助. The father had had a brain aneurysm and couldn’t work. 我帮他申请了残疾保险，并为他的孩子找到了廉价的牙科和医疗保健服务. 随着时间的推移, I realized it was a blessing that I had, simply by having grown up and worked in the area, the knowledge and contacts to help this family.

We often think we don’t have anything to offer, 但我可以利用我的技能和人脉，为我所在社区的一个家庭发声. I’ve heard the saying “To whom much is given, much is expected.“这对我来说是有道理的. Would I have said it myself in high school? Probably not. 但即使在那时，我也能看出我的努力已经改变了某人的生活.

— 凯莉·迪纳·阿尔斯波83年

 

“未来几十年的框架”

即使作为一个六年级的学生， David Jones ’04 (左)津津乐道的以保护为重点的服务项目，例如1998年Corvus记录的这个项目(右), 展示中学生 威廉·麦克布莱德02年 and 泰勒·比尔兹利02年 prepare a transport for an injured hawk.

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Hip waders? Check! Rubber gloves? Check! 衣服我可以弄脏? Check!

我喜欢和中学的科学老师米米·利伯曼一起准备Adopt-A-Stream. 大约一个月一次, this fearless woman loaded a minibus of wild, treasure-seeking kiddos for the three-minute drive to a nearby creek.

葡京娱乐场官网做了一些重要的工作，比如检查小溪的pH值，记录志愿者的工作时间, but I mostly remember the thrill of exploration. 葡京娱乐场官网不知道会发现什么. Plastic bags, bottles and loose trash were always abundant, but on every trip we uncovered some unexpected surprise waiting for us, 半埋在废墟或溪边.

The mangled metal of a full shopping cart caught us off guard. 是谁放上去的?

鲶鱼尸体? 是的，它很臭，是的，男孩们拿着臃肿的鱼到处追着女孩们.

How in the world did a manhole cover wash down such a small creek? Those chunks of metal weigh a few hundred pounds!

The fun of each adventure still resonates with me, 看到葡京娱乐场官网所有的努力似乎一次又一次付诸东流的失望也是如此. We’d work for hours to clean up our part of the creek, only to see it scattered with trash again upon our return.

That experience had a quiet impact on me, teaching me early on about responsibility, 服务及保育. 我仍然每天找机会在葡京娱乐场官网的社区捡垃圾, around a parking lot or by the office.

I think the biggest lesson I learned centered on servant leadership. Leaders get their hands dirty, and they do it over and over again. 在那些艰难的岁月里，与朋友和导师们一起工作，为未来几十年制定了一个框架，那时仍然需要穿上西装，清理干净.

Thanks, Mrs. Lieberman, and I’m sorry again about the catfish.

— David Jones ’04

 

"尽我所能"

Ann Barnett ’12 (left) participated in numerous community service initiatives, including organizing the Key Club’s blood drive (right, 尽管她自己还没有到献血的年龄.

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当我扑通一声跳进泳池的时候.E. 2009年芬利活动中心, 在我左边的是一个即将成为大学游泳运动员的人，在我右边的是一个保持着许多Ravenscroft游泳记录的朋友. 他们俩都从起跑台上跳下来，开始以精确的动作疯狂地向前摆动手臂. Meanwhile, my faded goggles had already filled with water, 我在想我借来的Speedo到底适不合身. 我慢慢地开始蛙泳, and eventually my friend lapped me and paused to ask how I was doing. 我沮丧地回答说，也许游泳马拉松是个坏主意，我应该坚持陆上运动. 她提醒我，我已经挨家挨户地要求每圈的承诺, 所以我还是尽我所能吧. “尽你所能，”她说. Her advice motivated me to swim without stopping for the whole hour, even if it meant continuing at my snail’s pace. 我不知道葡京娱乐场官网小组最后为杜克儿童医院筹集了多少钱, but the idea of contributing what I can stuck with me.

Similarly, in 2010, 当时关键俱乐部需要一名学生领袖来宣传和组织红十字献血活动, I felt a little inadequate to step up, especially as I didn’t even meet the criteria to give blood. The Key Club advisor and Upper School librarian, Elise Thrash, 鼓励我去尝试, 我很快就认识到，我注重细节的组织能力和对砖墙说话的能力在这种情况下很有用. I collaborated with friends to recruit blood donors, 安排他们的预约，并组织志愿者管理登记和补充站. 即使我不能献血，献血活动也给了我一个“尽我所能”的机会.”

在拉文斯克罗夫特的社区服务经历一次又一次地告诉我，这不是为了满足服务时间的要求，也不是为了让自己看起来更好. 我了解到社区服务是一种愿意分享你的时间和才能来帮助别人，除了你自己. It’s just doing what you can, where you can and when you can.

— Ann Barnett ’12

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服务学习仍然是拉文斯克罗夫特所有三个部门学生的优先事项! 了解低年级学生如何运用他们的创造力和创业精神，支持中学到哥斯达黎加的服务之旅 One World.