Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School, a private K-12 school, offers a college prep program that combines the pursuit of academic excellence with the development of moral character.  Its aim is to develop students who will lead productive and ethical lives.

As a school that has embraced a civic mission, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's demonstrates dedication to integrating community service into the school culture and linking it to the curriculum.   

The school was founded by the First Episcopal Bishop of the territory of Utah in 1880 -- before Utah was even a state.  Although RHSM has been independent and unaffiliated with the church for over sixty years, it continues to promote a culture of service and seeks to achieve civic learning outcomes.

RHSM is governed by a head of school, assistant head of school and a board of trustees made up of community members and parents, who together set some of the policies for the school.  They create a long-term plan, help with financial development, serve as sounding boards for major initiatives, and ensure the school fulfills its mission. 

Everyday practices of the school, however, are determined by principals and faculty in consultation with the head of schools. 

CURRICULUM AND CLIMATE

Liz Paige, the school's Director of Service-Learning, describes how  students are explicitly taught to be active members of the community.

"We focus on core academics," Paige explains, "but we are also focused on how to help in our community through social services.  Students participate in everything from one of the largest canned food drives in the state to helping the Salvation Army find families to receive holiday assistance, to trying to be as environmentally sustainable as a school.  Service is both an institutional mindset as well as something we want the individual students to learn and acculturate into lifelong habits."

Paige helps teachers connect service and the curriculum, as well as find community partners. 

"We look for something beneficial to the education and personal development of students, as well as meets a need in the community," she says. 

Service is linked across the curriculum, from English, history, foreign languages, mathematics -- even athletics.

For instance, Paige says, the seventh grade social science curriculum studies geography and culture from around the world.  One of the themes is migration -- migration by choice and forced migration.  The students discuss refugees, and learn that Salt Lake City is a refugee site for the International Rescue Committee, Jewish Family Services, and Catholic Family Services.  Every year, hundreds of refugees come to Utah.

"We want students to be aware of that, and to understand their cultures.   Also, we want students to know how they can extend a welcoming hand to these new members of our community."

In school, students research the countries and cultures where refugees came from, make flags to decorate, and hold bake sales to help each family set up a new home. The school hosts a pot luck dinner for refugees and center staff, and students provide entertainment.  They also invite the resettlement director to speak to the community, describing what IRC does and describing how families and community members can be involved. 

In addition, students visit a local school and help teach refugees English. 
The basketball team also hosts a clinic and a cheese pizza lunch.

As to civic learning in other aspects of the curriculum, Paige says, "We're a small school, and in a class of 16-20 students there's an expectation that everyone participates, and everyone's voice is important.  Classes are discussion-oriented and include an awareness of public affairs.

For instance, in 11th grade English classes, students' persuasive essays are submitted as editorials to the newspaper or online publications.  Each year, a number of them are published. 

"Students choose the issues that are important to them and do the research," Paige says.  "They are encouraged to make contact with the state representatives, as well as national leaders."

Outside of the classroom, RHSM also encourages civic learning through participation in its debate team, the Salt Lake City Youth City Government, and Utah Food Bank Youth Board. 

"Throughout the school we promote values such as integrity, respectability, honesty, and being your best self.  It's part of every day -- it's just the culture of our school," says Paige.