Community Service

Lower Merion School District believes that community service and service learning are integral parts of any educational experience. The motto "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve," forms the core of the District's vision statement and these words can be found in prominent locations at school facilities. Service fosters awareness of the world around us and according to studies has the effect of increased happiness and self-esteem and greater levels of personal success. Those who engage in service opportunities at an early age are more likely to develop a lifelong commitment to civic responsibility and community.

Service is integrated at all levels of the LMSD student experience. At the elementary level, schools identify and address specific causes and develop year-long programming that connect to curriculum and add depth to the service experience. At the middle school level, student government takes a leadership role in organizing service programs and school clubs and individual classes focus on specific projects. Service learning is also integrated in various interdisciplinary programs. At the high school level, community-based learning programs and community service courses are offered for credit as part of the curriculum. Numerous service-oriented clubs and organizations work aggressively to address local, regional, national and international causes.

At the District level, the Office of School & Community Relations organizes community-wide service programs, including an annual United Way campaign, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and district-wide responses to major national and global crises. In recent years, the District has organized fundraising and awareness campaigns for Hurricane Katrina, the Southeast Asia tsunami, the earthquake in Haiti and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

For more information about current projects, to share information about service opportunities and/or to learn how to get involved with service in LMSD, please email info@lmsd.org.