Students, Service, and Strength of Heart

Students may volunteer to do community service as their afternoon co-curricular commitment. Typically, a student is on-site at a service project three days per week. Some students combine a recreational sport or special exercise with a community service project that only requires one or two afternoons per week.

“The test of the worth of any school is, in the last analysis, the record of her alumni… it is our sincere hope that the tradition of service instilled and nurtured here … may endure always to the lasting benefit of the country and the world.” —Frank L. Boyden

The community service program at Deerfield continues to expand and diversify.  Students involved in the co-curricular program have worked at the Greenfield Animal Shelter, two farms, a variety of daycare and after-school programs, and at social service agencies, shelters, and nursing homes. Students also participate in on-campus projects such as Computers for Senior Citizens, where students instruct retirees in basic computer skills.

There are also opportunities for service for students who do not have the co-curricular time-slot free. Athletic teams, dorm groups, and clubs volunteer at Second Helpings, a soup kitchen in Greenfield. Many one-time opportunities such as Habitat for Humanity work days and other special projects are also offered on a sign-up basis.

Deerfield students who want to work with children have several opportunities: through the Franklin County Big Brother/Big Sister program, about 70 juniors and seniors "adopt" young friends with whom they spend time with every Friday evening. In addition, the Bement Buddies program lets students act as mentors or tutors to younger students, and a section of Spanish IV visits a local elementary school one morning a week to teach conversational Spanish to eight-year-olds.

In the summer students can apply for financial assistance for their projects from two special funds. Finally, as a Round Square School, with links to secondary schools and service projects all over the world, Deerfield also invites students to apply for joint service projects in many different countries during school vacations.