Mile Marker Seven

During the fall of a student’s 7th-grade year, we will start promoting our summer service trips. Middle school students are hyper-aware of their surroundings and culture. While this natural focus helps them develop their definition of the adults they are becoming, it causes many people to accuse them of being “selfish” or “living in a bubble.” Therefore, we encourage parents to take their middle schoolers on a different type of adventure after they finish 7th grade: a service trip. It is eye-opening for students to see people living in different cultural contexts, dealing with different sets of challenges. It’s also powerful for them to see one of their parents serving others. By modeling how to put others first, parents naturally open up conversations about priorities and values.

Transit service trip sign-ups start in November, and teams will be finalized in January. Each service trip team has at least three meetings in the spring before their summer adventure begins.