Social Action

Social justice and social action are woven throughout our PreK-8 curriculum. In the 2021-2022 school year, Birches middle schoolers participated in a year-long social action unit, collaborating with local organizations to address a community need. They summarized their experiences for the community. “Social Action starts with noticing when something is broken in our society. It means taking a stand and bringing groups of people together to help make the world a better place. We noticed that Covid-19 intensified food challenges for many families and so we wanted to bring attention to food inequity. We volunteered with Gaining Ground Farm and other organizations to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to families in need. We then partnered with Artists For Humanity to collaborate on the creation of an artwork highlighting the amazing work of Gaining Ground Farm. Throughout this process Birches School students have learned from farmers and from artists about the different threads of social action.

In second and third grade, students begin to notice what is going on in the world around them and teachers push them to consider how they personally can make a difference. In the winter of 2022, the class had a thriving indoor hydroponic garden, growing romaine lettuce, kale, arugula, and swiss chard. We began learning about the problem of food insecurity, and voted to donate some of our harvests to a local food pantry. We partnered with Open Table to drop off harvests every few weeks. This was a project that everyone was involved in, from students growing and tending to the vegetables, classmates harvesting and organizing the greens into bags, and students and parents driving to Open Table to drop off the donation. Our class was proud to help people get delicious, fresh, organic produce.