Community Service | Dwight School

Dwight is committed to leadership training, service learning, and community service. Through academic, civic, team, and individual exploration, students develop valuable leadership skills and perform local and global community service that will help them succeed in the next phase of their lives as students, community members, and world leaders.

Each year, Dwight students are involved in dozens of different community service projects, including WISER (Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research). Dwight was selected as one of three Lead Partner Schools for this non-profit organization, which built the first girls’ boarding school in Muhuru Bay, Kenya. Leadership through service is woven into nearly every aspect of a Dwight education.

Service as Action Across the School

Students in preschool-grade 12 are encouraged to engage in meaningful community service, participate in physical activities, and explore their creativity. Dwight School believes that these are important components of an IB education and personal development. In keeping with our mission and the IB curriculum, we have a Service as Action (community service) requirement for all students in grades 9 and 10, and a CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) requirement for all students in grades 11 and 12.

Preschool, Kindergarten, and Lower School (Grades PreK-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Students in grades 6-8 participate in class projects and are invited to age-appropriate, on-campus community service events. Middle School students also have the opportunity to join several after-school service clubs, and participate in a grade-wide service mornings. Through such service, MYP students are able to become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth, undertake challenges that develop new skills, discuss, evaluate and plan student-initiated activities, persevere in action, work collaboratively with others, develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding, and consider the ethical implications of their actions.

Upper School (Grades 9 & 10)

Students in grades 9 and 10 are required to complete at least one service experience per trimester, documenting evidence of their activities and reflecting on the MYP learning outcomes on their ManageBac accounts.

Service experiences performed the summer before entering grade 9 may be credited toward the requirement. Participation in activities, events, and service trips may be initiated by Dwight or by organizations not affiliated with the school. There are several Dwight after-school activity service clubs to help students meet their requirements.

Upper School (Grades 11 & 12)

Diploma Program (DP) candidates are required to participate for 18 months in meaningful creativity, activity, and service (CAS) activities outside of the classroom IB curriculum. These may include both activities that are completed at and/or outside of Dwight.

Diploma candidates must also initiate a collaborative project with at least one other diploma candidate that includes at least one of the three core areas of CAS and is ongoing for at least one month.

Although there is no official minimum number of required hours, candidates are expected to have averaged a few hours a week when meeting the program’s requirements. Each candidate is required to have three CAS progress meetings (called interviews) per year with their advisor documented on their ManageBac account.

DP candidates are required to plan, set personal goals, show evidence of what they have accomplished, document their progress, and reflect on each activity and on their CAS project in their ManageBac account. To be eligible for an IB diploma, DP candidates entering Dwight in grade 12 are required to complete the entire CAS program.

Candidates may begin their CAS activities the summer following grade 10. Hours accumulated in Dwight School after school activities may be credited if they have met the CAS activity eligibility standard.

Forbes "30 Under 30" Alum Dan Maren '11 Discusses CAS at Dwight and how it changed his perspective on helping the world.

Leadership

Shane Hansen

Director of Service Learning/CAS