Many aspects of life at Kildonan benefit from the enthusiastic work and support of student volunteers and work crews. In turn, students develop a better sense of responsibility and leadership, improved self-esteem, and a better understanding of the complexities of a boarding school and the challenges of the adult world. The Community Service Program gives our students an opportunity to contribute their energies and talents to a wide variety of people and projects. The Community Service Program is a long standing tradition at Kildonan through which the entire school has an opportunity to give back to the school community or the community at large in some way every Wednesday afternoon.
Students are able to choose in which community service group they wish to participate each term as the groups are flexible according to season and supervising faculty.
Some of the main staples include running and maintaining the school bookstore, yearbook photography, helping in the stables or library, and build it/fix it, a group that builds and repairs vital school items such as tables and bookcases for classrooms. Though we have several organized all-school campus cleanups throughout the year, there is also an essential community service group that strives to keep our buildings and grounds free of refuse.
Related to this is the seasonal gardening group that plants and tends to the flowers that enhance the beauty of our campus. The wood crew is also seasonal, chopping wood in the fall to be used in campus fireplaces during the winter. Several groups contribute to the community outside of our school, such as the recycling group and a group that bakes desserts for local senior citizens. We have also had groups that worked for Habitat for Humanity and volunteered at a soup kitchen. Community service is a weekly school activity that students and faculty enjoy as it gives us an opportunity to provide greatly needed and appreciated help and services to others.
