Students in the US Community Action elective and the Montessori elementary classroom worked together on a service project designed to spread kindness. They made greeting cards and delivered them to the seniors at a nearby assisted living residence – promoting multigenerational friendship in the neighborhood.
Service Learning
Service Learning
Inspiring students to take action
Calhoun’s community service program is designed to inspire students to become active citizens within their communities, foster a better understanding of their responsibility to equity and social justice, and encourage a lifelong commitment to community engagement.
Community engagement and social justice are central to Calhoun’s philosophy, culture and curriculum. Students of all ages have the opportunity to be social advocates and activists. Students learn early on that they have the power to make change, and service learning sets the stage for them to take action. While students from every division participate in school-directed service learning projects and activities, Upper School students are required to complete a minimum of 60 hours of community service.
Calhoun has cultivated partnerships with a number of organizations across the city, giving students the opportunity to explore causes that speak to them.
Our goal is that engaging in one’s community starts at Calhoun and continues throughout a student’s life.
Debbie Aronson '79
Director of Community Service Learning
Community Partners
See examples of service organizations that Calhoun partners with
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Our Upper School hosted its annual Community Engagement Fair. Here, students had the opportunity to speak to student volunteers, club leaders, and adult representatives from nearby community organizations. They were able to sign up for clubs and find other ways to get involved!
In the US Community Action class, Harlow M. '27 wrote a letter to the Mayor of Salt Lake County about water overuse of the Great Salt Lake and the effects on the environment, human health and the economy. Mayor Wilson sent a reply back, writing, "Letters like yours remind us that even local issues have far-reaching consequences and inspire me to keep fighting."
For Umuganda Day, members of the Calhoun community came together for a day of service and cleanup at Riverside Park. Despite the rain, families and students "were very dedicated and did an amazing job caring for the park," writes Community Service Learning Director Debbie Aronson.
As a part of the Upper School Hunger and Homelessness elective, Matthew K. '26 worked closely with Dan Zauderer, founder of Grassroots Grocery, to organize a sandwich making activity at Calhoun.
Umuganda Day was an awesome morning of community service. We had a record number of attendees this year – over 100! – a testament to how the Calhoun community comes together to make a difference in our city.
Throughout the 2021-22 school year, Calhoun students worked with CITYarts, a nonprofit public arts and education organization. During community events and workshops led by the US Students in Action Club, students of all ages, teachers and families have made Pieces for Peace, which depict each individual's vision of peace.
The Calhoun community gathered for the Cooper Stock Faculty Basketball Game and Cooper’s Troopers Day of Service in early June. The events were held in honor of Cooper Stock, a member of the Class of 2023 who was struck and killed by a taxi driver in 2014, to raise awareness about traffic safety.
The US Students in Action Club and the Students Teaching Students elective organized a special family volunteer day with Mott Haven Fridge, an organization that fights food insecurity.
Calhoun students have been volunteering at Homeward NYC, an organization that supports homeless youth, families and older adults, since its founding in 1989. Homeward NYC recently spotlighted its partnership with Calhoun and the different ways students have gotten involved.