Service learning is an opportunity to share with the larger community. One day a month, mostly Wednesdays, Middle Schoolers and faculty scatter across Portland's metro area to work on a fairly wide variety of different service learning projects. Students arrive at the Middle School for an 8:15 a.m. assembly, and we depart from the Commons at approximately 8:30 a.m. Students will be transported on Catlin Gabel buses or they ride Trimet or MAX. Middle schoolers might need special supplies such as work gloves. After service, back on campus diferent activities and/or classes take place and everyone is dismissed at 3:15. pm. Please avoid making medical appointments for your student during service learning mornings. It's important for everyone to attend school on these days.

Below are the Middle School service dates for the 2012-2013 school year. (Please note: all Wednesdays except Friday, April 12)

Some C&C groups will work with young children at organizations such as Head Start or sort canned goods at the Oregon Food Bank. Others will assist the elderly in senior centers. But what do these experiences mean to middle schoolers, and why is community service integral to Catlin Gabel's mission?

Service learning is about the real world--it invites students to be members of the Portland community.

Our campus is spectacular, from its buildings to the grounds. Our curriculum and experiential activities speak to the importance of human rights, empowerment, and personal risk taking.

Service learning is about acting on our core values and our mission!

There is a fundamental difference between reading and writing about homelessness and working with the homeless or those that advocate for them.

Service learning teaches empathy, leadership, citizenship, and personal responsibility.

Service is really about community involvement and action. Instead of simply talking about an issue, middle schoolers are engaged in the issue through service experiences. This is the first step in helping them understand that individuals can make a difference. Making a difference is measured in the reward of helping others.

A middle schooler describes the impact of his service learning: "I think that doing it [service] has helped me think about other people's needs and not just mine."

Service learning is about selflessness.

Most of us would love to work with pets at the Humane Society, but what do social service agencies, nonprofits, or private citizens need? What can we selflessly give?

Our area of interest is important, but the needs of the Portland community are the priority. Listen to the wisdom of an 8th grader:

"Over the last three years of service, I have learned what it means to be a member of the community. It means that you do your own part, whether it's feeding hungry 3rd graders or cleaning up trash."

For more information about the Middle School service learning program, please contact: