Service Learning
Service Learning at Mirman is an opportunity to integrate community engagement opportunities into the broader curriculum from Kindergarten through Upper School 4. These community engagement opportunities include service projects specific to themes assigned within each grade level, larger all-school community projects which engage the entire school, and additional service initiatives developed and led by some of our student leaders. Service Learning is an educational approach where learning objectives can enhance student growth and elicit positive change in the broader community. Our Service Learning program involves commitment from strong family volunteer committees, administrators, faculty, and students.
Read more about our Service Learning initiatives on the blog below!
US1 and Second Grade buddies — think mentor/mentees, but student-led — recently put their heads together for a great cause.
The Room 4 students and the Lower School Student Advisory Council put together 150 care kits to donate to women in homeless shelters throughout LA.
The energy was palpable as 90+ students from Mirman's Room 5 and Sylvan Park Elementary gathered together for a fun day of STEAM learning.
Click here to access archived Service Learning stories in our Newsroom.
Service Learning Themes
Food Justice, Environmental Justice, and Sustainability: Students take on both roles of mentor and mentee as they support in developing their environmental identity on and off campus, all while supporting the campus in transitioning to a more environmentally aware community. They will work on tackling specific questions such as: "How do we think about our planet and our impacts as collective change agents?" "How do we think about access to healthy food and environments in the Los Angeles landscape?" Specific projects will be geared towards educating our campus on reducing food waste, developing a composting program, sustaining our Giving Garden. Students in Kindergarten, First grade, Room 4, and US3 engage in this domain.
A Sense of Place and Connection: Students build relationships with partner schools to exchange knowledge, resources, and friendships through STEM and literacy initiatives. Students will examine how neighboring communities are similar and different, and how distinct communities can work together toward a common goal. Students will also look inward at Mirman’s campus to assess the complexities of ability/disability and identify ways of improving access and inclusion through STEM and design-thinking. Additionally, through art and action, students will make visible the diversity of Mirman’s community in the context of Los Angeles’ origin stories through an ongoing art mural on campus. Students in Second grade, Room 5, and US1 engage in this domain.
Unity and Allyship, Locally and Globally: Students develop and lead various campaigns to stand up against bullying and injustice across a diverse range of themes and communities. Central to each campaign is the goal of bringing Mirman’s community closer together, while also placing Mirman in the context of a larger socio-political and cultural world. The large capstone campaigns include: Unity Day, Mirman Helping Hands, and Peace and Social Justice Day. Students in US2, US3, and US4 engage in this domain.
Additional school-wide service learning initiatives include a back-to-school drive for Mirman’s partner school; a Thanksgiving food drive for the Westside Food Bank; and Treats for Troops.