Community Service - Girls Preparatory School
Girls Preparatory School - Chattanooga, TN

Community Service

Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.   –Dr. Dorothy I. Height

 

 

We all know what happens when a small pebble is tossed into calm water.  Just like the ripples that extend and join other waves, small acts of service transcend beyond the initial act and carry on into the community and perhaps even farther.  

 

GPS believes that service is something that students should engage in because they want to, not because they are required to. We educate our students about their community and encourage them to act to better the lives of others.

 

Students at GPS are presented with many opportunities to grow and develop that extend beyond the classroom.  Throughout the school year, students reach out in a multitude of community service activities that range from tutoring children, serving food at the Community Kitchen, assisting at local pet shelters, and building Habitat homes. Over 300 GPS students annually choose to participate in community service activities during the school’s Winterim break. Whether collecting over 1,000 pounds of food for the area Food Bank or providing instruction for Special Olympic athletes, GPS girls learn the importance of volunteerism.

 

Throughout the school year, GPS students also create ripples by initiating various community service projects in Chattanooga and beyond. In 2009, three girls were recognized nationally for making a difference in the lives of others. Alizeh Ahmad ‘10 was awarded the prestigious Prudential Spirit of Community medal for her work in building an all girls’ school in Pakistan for Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute. Kaycee Ensign and Annie Paden ‘12 were given UNICEF’s Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for their unparalleled commitment to the Tap Project, which raises money for clean water in Third World countries.