Community Service

Saint David's has a long history of commitment to the greater good through community action and engagement programs. Boys begin to learn the value of helping others in Lower School where our youngest students contribute hats and mittens at Christmas to Graham-Windham Children's Services. In Second Grade, boys regularly visit the Manhattan Childrens Center, where they cultivate skills to engage with children with autism and related disabilities. They come to see that while people may be different, we are all very much the same.

In the Upper School, the Fourth Grade Pennies for Puppies/Dollars for Dogs program raises funds for the training of seeing eye dogs; the fifth grade pledges to care for and improve our local environment and works with the Central Park Conservancy to preserve and enhance parts of Central Park that we use frequently throughout the year; sixth graders raise funds for Gbowee Peace Foundation's Book Bag Initiative in support of high achieving students in Liberia and Ghana. Seventh graders make weekly visits to a local assisted-living facility, where students talk and play games with elderly residents. They also support One Sandwich at a Time in a joint service project with seventh grade girls from The Nightingale-Bamford School.

Eighth graders spearhead our Ethiopia Schools project. Since 2011 we have been committed to expanding access to elementary education in Ethiopia and our boys have run construction fundraising campaigns to help build two schools in Tigray. The grade also leads our oldest community action program--the school-wide Thanksgiving Food Drive. All grades collect canned goods and groceries for several weeks prior to Thanksgiving and the eighth graders sell pies to help raise money for the purchase of turkeys. Meals are packed by students and delivered the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for distribution to families in need. Our emphasis on service to others, compassion and community action is integral to the fulfillment of the school's mission "... that they be good men."