Service Learning
Service is an essential part of our students’ formation as compassionate, thoughtful leaders in their communities. Our service program empowers students to see beyond transactional acts of charity and learn what it takes to create meaningful, lasting change. Through integrated service learning experiences and sustained community partnerships, students gain a deeper understanding of the world around them and their role in shaping it.
First-grade students preparing to plant trees with TreeFolks.
Types of Service
Service can take many forms, and each plays an important role in making our world more just and peaceful. Trinity students have opportunities to connect with the community in Austin and beyond in all of these ways!
Direct Service
Direct service meets immediate needs (e.g. donating canned goods to a local food bank). Opportunities include face-to-face interactions and relationship-building with people, or even animals or the environment, who have immediate unmet needs.
Indirect Service
Indirect service supports others behind the scenes, such as organizing donated supplies or caring for a community garden.
Awareness
Awareness work involves researching an issue and educating others about it through presentations, posters, or social media.
Advocacy
Advocacy involves working toward changes in policies or practices, often by meeting with decision-makers or speaking at public forums.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy or fundraising means raising money or resources for organizations or causes you care about, helping them continue their work.
Our sixth-grade students and teachers reflect on visiting the Texas State Capitol and advocating for or against a bill they studied.
What Do I Bring?
We encourage kids to start with themselves. What's my unique story? What do I care about? What gifts and resources do I have? We all have unique perspectives and talents that we can bring to the table, and we give students opportunties to explore what service means to them.
Core Curriculum
We weave ideas about service learning into the curriculum. Within each school division, classroom teachers on grade-level teams align academic and social-emotional learning with meaningful social action.
Campus Projects
We encourage kids to take responsibility for their community, both directly (e.g. picking up trash in the creeks on campus) or indirectly (e.g. a bake sale to raise money and awareness for a cause).
Partner Organizations
We partner with organizations like Mobile Loaves & Fishes and El Buen Samaritano to give students opportunities to serve the Austin community and get out of their comfort zone.
Legacy Project
As a culminating capstone to their service-learning journey, eighth-graders collaborate, design, and implement a “Legacy Project.” In groups, they spend time identifying their own gifts and strengths, exploring needs in the community around us and take action that matters.
Student Ambassadors
Ambassadors work with the Admission Team to help prospective families learn more about Trinity. They participate in Admission events, campus tours, and student shadow visits.
Shine
Shine is a subsidiary of Trinity that supports families from under-resourced communities in Austin, Texas, in order to boost student achievement. Students can serve as volunteers in the program.
A Middle School student volunteers at Shine, Trinity's summer partnership with Title 1 schools in the Austin community.
Graduate with Distinction
We honor graduates who have participated in a qualifying number of service hours with the designation of "Graduate with Distinction" on their diploma. However, the goal isn't to help students simply build a resume. We want them to reflect on the important role that each of us plays in contributing to betterment of our world. We empower all students to take action in response to their learning and prepare them for lives of meaning and leadership in a complex, changing world.
In addition to the designation of "Graduate with Distinction" on diplomas of qualifying graduates, we honor truly exceptional students with medals. For example, the James Edward Horne Medal is awarded to the graduate who best exemplifies leadership, faithfulness, and a commitment to live in harmony with a greater purpose.
Caitlin Sweetlamb
Director of Service Learning
Caitlin integrates service learning into all areas of school life. She teaches Intro to Service Learning and Religion and partners with the Chaplain to weave service learning into Chapel programming. Caitlin also coordinates school-sponsored service learning activities, maintains relationships with community partner organizations, and manages the Middle School "Graduate with Disctinction" process.