Students Serving the Community
The 40 seniors of the Class of 2015 collectively completed more than 6,911 hours of service over four years--more than doubling the required 80 hours each--due to a desire to serve.
Service to others is an integral part of the Canterbury education. The school's mission includes preparing students for “…an honorable life as a responsible steward of our world.” We strongly believe that we all have an obligation to improve the community in which we live. Through school-wide and individual community service projects, Canterbury students become empathetic, impactful leaders in the local and global community.
Community service begins in PreK and continues through graduation. Through a wide variety of projects and hands-on service opportunities, we challenge our students to think about how they can, and should, make a difference through commitment and action. We strive to instill in our students the desire to be compassionate citizens, using their education and talents for the good of humanity.
All members of our community — students, faculty, and staff — engage in service to the larger community.
In the Lower School, community service begins close to home—helping plant and harvest marsh grass in the on-campus nursery, selling vegetables to raise money for manatees at the Lowry Park Zoo Manatee Hospital, and collecting clothing for Clothes to Kids, a local organization that provides free clothing to school-aged children in need, just to name a few.
In the Middle School, students continue to participate in grade- and school-wide community service activities and develop their leadership roles. Students with an interest in a specific cause may deliver a presentation about the cause at a school assembly and share it with their peers.
For the past five years, Canterbury upper school students have gone to Costa Rica during the January mini-term to help school children and the local community. Read an Article About This in Our CSFeatures Magazine.
Above and Beyond
Other projects include
- Creating care packages for troops serving overseas
- Cooking for families at Ronald McDonald House
- Working with Tampa Bay Watch to plant marsh grass in Tampa Bay to stop beach erosion
- Collecting items for Sallie House, a Salvation Army outreach program
- Working to beautify our campus
- Volunteering at community events
Our program is purposefully structured in such a way that there are projects and initiatives that fit nearly any student schedule. Chances to volunteer are everywhere. With opportunities to serve after school, in the evenings or on the weekends, there is a way for every Canterbury student--from a varsity athlete to a committed Thespian or musician, to a concerned citizen looking to create change in the community--to make a difference.
Building Bright Futures
All Canterbury seniors must have at least 80 hours of community service to graduate, but most exceed this requirement by far. Many of our students complete more than 100 hours to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarships, which reward Florida high school graduates for academic excellence. Our educators understand the importance of service initiatives in preparing students for college and life. We provide several organized group opportunities to fulfill community service hours as part of the LEADS program.