Living Our Values with Service Learning
Service learning and acts of hesed are integral to who we are as a community.
Our values of kavod (honor)/כבוד, hesed (kindness)/חסד, ometz lev (courage)/אומץ לב, and kehillah (community)/קהילה to improve the world around us are a core tenant of a Barrack education—one that is alive in our classrooms, hallways, and homes.
Through school-wide, grade-wide, club, and senior year programs, our students give back to their communities and their world.
To reinforce our Derech Eretz/דרך ארץ value of kindness and further promote the importance of volunteerism, all students participate in organized community service projects.
School-wide Culture of Service
As a school, each member of our community does hesed projects and volunteering each year. Each student participates in school-wide days of volunteering during the fall holiday of Sukkot and community outreach in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Grade Projects at Shabbatonim
Each grade also participates an individual hesed project to begin their shabbatonim, such as volunteering with senior service centers, making meals for those in need, creating blankets for the unhoused, and cleaning up at local parks, museums and cemeteries.
Hesed Club
Our Hesed Club is very active, offering programs outside of school for our students and community including direct service as well as considering policy change. Students run seders at senior living communities, organize giving drives, and help make our community a better place.
Senior Service Learning
Seniors have a special opportunity to participate in full trimester of senior service learning. Through placement opportunities in our community and beyond, our seniors learn while giving back before taking their next steps.
In the spring trimester of their senior year, 12th graders complete 90 hours of service in a not-for-profit organization of their choice, exploring how they can make an impact after graduation. Students engage in a thoughtful process to select a meaningful service organization, choosing to volunteer at local hospitals, schools, and veterinary clinics as well as environmental and policy institutions.