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Service Learning & Leadership

ACDS values the roles that service and leadership play in shaping confident, resourceful and caring young people.

This is why we require our Middle School students to complete a Service and Leadership component for graduation as part of our elective program.

The ACDS Middle School Service Learning Program is a powerful hands-on learning tool, teaching students the importance of being active members of their community, giving back through service, and acting as leaders for change. Our graduates will go on to assume leadership roles in business and the social sector; it is part of the school’s mission to ensure that ACDS alumni recognize their privilege and commit to making significant contributions to their world.

Each year, the Middle School students organize and conduct an impressive variety of projects reflecting the needs and concerns they deem critical, and their projects tangibly benefit the school, local, regional and global communities.

Here is just a sampling of their recent outcomes:

  • Organized a felt bears craft project for children and provided a movie afternoon for families at the San Jose Family shelter;
  • Worked as “blanketeers” for Project Linus;
  • Hosted a movie night on campus with refreshments and raised money for the World Wildlife Foundation;
  • Organized neighborhood recycling, with proceeds going to local libraries;
  • Designed and created a website to fight animal cruelty and presented it to ACDS elementary school students;
  • Organized neighborhood dog walking service with proceeds going to the Nike Animal Rescue Foundation;
  • Conducted clean-up campaigns at Lake Almaden, Guadalupe Reservoir and Almaden Creek;
  • Assisted with a pet adoption drive in San Francisco;
  • Served meals at Sunday Friends and House of Grace homeless shelters;
  • Worked with Student2Student exchange and created a pen pal relationship with a school in Honduras
  • Made blankets and toys for animals in a local shelter;
  • Volunteered at Andy’s Pet Shop;
  • Organized and conducted a neighborhood hygiene donation drive to support the EHC LifeBuilders;
  • Coordinated a canned food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank
  • Developed an anti-bullying web site and video.

For more information about the Middle School Service Learning program, contact Head of Middle School, Mr. Jeremy Adams.