For Brookwood students, service leadership is a lifestyle
Brookwood's Warrior Wednesday group instills the value of giving to Middle and Upper School students. Students have a great time while helping the community.
It doesn’t take a hurricane to inspire the Brookwood School community to lend a hand. Service is embedded within the ethos of the school’s culture — and this year, a growing program teaches its students that service leadership can take many forms. Jenny Ladson, director of the Lower School Academic Resource Center, and Allison Harrell, Brookwood’s school counselor, are facilitators of Warrior Wednesday, an after-school program designed to instill the value of giving in Middle and Upper School students. Lower Schoolers are often included as well, when the activities are deemed appropriate for younger children’s participation.
Since its founding last year, teachers have begun to step forward with their classes to volunteer, and many students have become regular attendees.
“It’s been contagious,” Ladson said. “If we as adults here at Brookwood can be facilitators and role models of service leaders, what more do we want for our students?”
Even though the school year has just begun, the group has already begun its work in earnest and has plans for the months ahead.
Students have volunteered with Lives Without Limits, a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. They have worked with Hands and Hearts for Horses.
And they’ve even started a tradition of doing random acts of kindness around town, giving away cold drinks, flowers and kind notes — and even washing windshields. Eighth grade student Sally Powell said she will always remember having done that particular project.
“I loved when we stopped at the construction site and gave out Gatorades and sunshine (notes). The construction workers were so surprised by what we had done,” she said.
But that’s not the extent of their service: Facilitators of the club have plans for Brookwood students to tutor students at the Boys and Girls Club of Thomasville.
They will cook casseroles and establish a freezer bank for community members in need. And they will continue the tradition of making pottery bowls to donate to Empty Bowls, Full Hearts, a nationally- known service project established to combat hunger.
Harrell added that the Warrior Wednesday program is not just for the kids and faculty “We really want to open it up more to the Brookwood community and have the chance for parents to (participate)... for our whole community to be involved.”
And don’t think for one minute that the recipients of Brookwood’s service are the only ones who reap the benefits. Volunteerism teaches students that they are natural leaders in their own, individual ways — and gives them a chance to decide where their talents are most needed, the facilitators agreed. Ladson said their intention in broadening the scope of the program this year was to help students identify their own passions. “Our goal is not to volunteer at one place every month,” Ladson said.
“This is almost like a Hands-On Brookwood — a service engine for the school. It’s about finding that passion within you.
Finding the compassion.
What makes you feel good? And gosh, how good does it feel?”
Harrell agreed.
“We want them to find that peace within themselves, and that’s not the same for everybody,” she said. “Is it doing random acts of kindness? Is it being with the horses? Is it cooking?”
No matter what that passion is, Harrell continued, the most important thing that can happen is that students discover in themselves how they can best give back to the world.
“That fulfills so many things within them that they need when they leave this place,” she said.
Those lessons are becoming rapidly clear to Powell, who said Warrior Wednesday is not only a fun way to earn service hours and to spend time with her friends, but it’s also the highlight of her week.
“It makes me feel good to see that I can make an impact on someone else’s life through volunteering,” she said. “Seeing how random acts of kindness can make people’s day better and put a smile on their faces makes my heart feel full.” Headmaster Randy Watts said the evolution of the Warrior Wednesday program is a testament to the level of caring that is endemic to the Brookwood community “We are so proud of how our student, parents and faculty have embraced this program. It has been a wonderful opportunity for the Brookwood Family to engage meaningfully throughout Thomas County,”he said.
Brookwood School
Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.