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Contact:	Dana Marcus The School in Rose Valley admissions@theschoolinrosevalley.org 610-566-1088
Date:	April 24, 2007

The School in Rose Valley: A Model Service Learning Curriculum

April 24, 2007 – Fifth and sixth grade students at The School in Rose Valley (SRV), a private, progressive preschool through sixth grade near Media, will participate in two local service learning field trips over the next two weeks. Divided into two groups, the students will volunteer time, effort and enthusiasm with the White Horse Village retirement community in Edgemont and MANNA in Philadelphia.

As part of The School in Rose Valley's founding philosophy, service and partnership learning initiatives bring to life the school's belief that learning should have purpose. These initiatives teach the importance of contributing to the community – the classroom community, the school community, the surrounding community, and the global community. While most service learning that takes place at the elementary school level consists of food or clothing drives, The School in Rose Valley finds it equally important to expose students to service within an authentic context.

After many weeks of discussions about community service and the learning that can take place as a result, students decided to put their efforts towards ways they can make a difference on what they cared about the most. Half of the class will spend time with the vibrant, elderly members of the White Horse Community, a non-profit life care community for people 62 and over who want to design their own retirement lifestyle. The remaining students will donate time in the local Manna kitchen, following the organization's mission of fighting against AIDS through a nutritional program that provides ongoing support and encouragement to those served.

After the service experiences, further group reflection will help students more fully understand the nature of the problems they are addressing, how ordinary citizens can contribute to positive change, and what they might be interested in pursuing in greater depth later–either next year if they are remaining at SRV, or under other auspices if they are matriculating on to middle school.

The School in Rose Valley offers a strikingly different model of educating young children. Emphasizing hands-on experience and connection to nature, Rose Valley's preschool through sixth grade program fosters independence, creativity, and deep commitment to community. The Rose Valley experience is both nurturing and rigorous–students are prepared for future academic success, meaningful relationships, and active citizenship. For more information, log on to www.theschoolinrosevalley.org.

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(L to R) Geoffrey M. of Swarthmore, Dan T. of Wallingford, Jesse R. of Swarthmore, Molly M. of Moylan, Hallie R.-L. of Media, Jordan H. of Swarthmore, and Megan A. of Boothwyn, fifth and sixth grade students at The School in Rose Valley, work on planning their upcoming field trips to White Horse and MANNA.