As the nation prepared for the Jan. 20 federal holiday recognizing the determined spirit and lasting impact of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — a day known popularly as “MLK Day” — students in the Lower School connected with the day’s long tradition of service through grade-level projects that supported a number of nonprofit organizations both in our community and beyond.

The Day of Service took place Friday, Jan. 17, and saw students and their teachers engaging in a range of developmentally appropriate, fun and meaningful activities:

• In PreK, students collected toys and created cards to donate to Duke Children’s Hospital in partnership with Ravenscroft parent Annie Udani. This is the fourth consecutive year of this partnership, for which our PreK teachers and students always get a “fist-bump” from grateful employees at Duke. 
• In Kindergarten, students donated baby wipes and children’s board books to support the Diaper Train, a local program helping families in need. The nonprofit has deep ties to the Ravenscroft community, with a number of Ravens alumni having served on the board. In addition, the organization operates out of the same building where the school’s original Tucker Street primary school was located!
• In the first grade, students led by Spanish teacher Carmen Hernandez Zoomed with peers attending the Dream School in the Dominican Republic and then wrote letters about how books have changed their world, which will be placed inside books that Ravenscroft families are donating to help expand that school’s library.  
• In the second grade, students constructed heart-shaped wreaths with tissue paper to brighten the day for residents of a local nursing home.
• In the third grade, students made comfort items, called “snow babies,” to donate to a residence for senior citizens in Raleigh.
• In the fourth grade, students made personalized bandanas for the rescued pups at Saving Grace Animal Adoption. The cheerful bandanas are worn by dogs in their profile photos, helping them find their forever homes.
• In the fifth grade, students continued the grade level’s long collaboration with Rise Against Hunger, packaging 4,200+ meals for global relief efforts.

Service to the community is an essential component of Ravenscroft’s work to support students in their growth and development as citizen leaders through Lead From Here. As they learn about the missions of the organizations they are supporting, Ravens from PreK through 12th grade are able to make connections to the wider world and understand how their actions can make an impact in a big way.

Congratulations to all of the students and teachers in the Lower School for completing these great projects!