Service Learning
Service has always been at the heart of St. Anne’s Episcopal School. Our Founding Sisters first came to Denver with the goal of taking care of children who were suffering from illnesses such as polio and tuberculosis. Later, they created a school with the purpose of meeting the needs of children who were not being well served by their neighborhood schools. Today, service learning is embedded in the curriculum of the school and reflected in our mission statement. At its core, service learning is about helping and empowering people—not merely through sharing goods or money, but through building relationships, fostering belonging, and addressing the root causes of inequality.
What Is Service Learning?
Service learning is a pedagogical model that integrates:
- Critical thinking
- Social responsibility
- Civic education
It is designed to benefit authentic community partnerships and provide students with meaningful opportunities to engage in real-world problem-solving.
How Is It Different from Volunteering or One-Time Philanthropic Efforts?
While volunteering often involves short-term, charitable actions, service learning is:
- Intentional and curriculum-connected
- Rooted in addressing the genuine needs of a community
- Designed to combine theory with practical experience
Core Elements of Service Learning
Student agency and ownership of projects
- Investigation, planning, action, and reflection
- Real engagement with others
- Encouragement of civic and cultural literacy
- Development of leadership and personal growth
Key features of our service learning program:
Designated dates for lesson planning and program implementation
- Teacher-led lessons
- Integration with the curriculum
- Opportunities for student reflection on their experiences
Topics explored in recent school years:
- Gratitude
- Pet care
- Support for our community
- Wildlife
- Food insecurity
- Wildfire prevention
- Literacy
- Recycling and composting
- Homelessness
- Trail building at St. Anne’s in the Hills
"At first I felt sad that there are people in the world who need this much help. Then I felt happy that I could actually do something about it as a 3rd grader. And at the end, I looked at what we harvested and I was so excited and proud of what we accomplished."
St. Anne’s Student