Community Corner
Service is Focus of Barnesville’s Annual ‘Walk Strong' Event
Barnesville students participate in an annual walk-a-thon and community service project to support the Frederick Rescue Mission.
The Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences Character Education program is designed to help students learn to embrace nine core values: kindness, service, perseverance, respect, initiative, courage, cooperation, responsibility, and honesty. With service as the focus in October, students participate in an annual walk-a-thon to support the homeless population in the area.
The “Walk Strong” event supports the Frederick Rescue Mission and is intentionally planned to take place the same day as the School’s Halloween celebration. Each year, before the costume parade, parties, and treats, the entire student body comes together to focus their attention on people experiencing homelessness.
In addition to raising more than $2,600 for the Rescue Mission this year, the Barnesville School community donated personal hygiene items for Rescue Mission clients. First and second graders helped to sort and organize the items so Buddy Groups could assemble personal shower kits as part of their first lap around campus together in the walk-a-thon.
First Grade Teacher Linda Birkholz, who added the community service project component to the event a few years ago said, “Together, we can make a powerful difference in the lives of others.”
In advance of this year’s walk, Middle School advisors and Lower School teachers incorporated homelessness and economic diversity lessons appropriate to their students' level into their teaching. A speaker from the Rescue Mission also spoke to Middle School students the morning of the walk so they could better understand the challenges facing people with insecure housing.
Photos are on Facebook.
Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences is an independent private school in Montgomery County, Maryland offering innovative preschool through 8th grade programs. Cross-curricular teaching encourages students to explore how subjects relate to one another, helping them to make connections that spark inquiry and deepen understanding. Small classes enable skilled teachers to engage each child in an academically challenging environment. Our 30-acre campus is our extended classroom, and we integrate nature into everyday learning.
