Service
The service program in the Senior School provides the opportunity for every student to become actively involved in and contribute to the greater good.
One of our goals is to assist our students to discover and develop talents, to enable students to learn about themselves and build skills of communication and collaboration, encourage the willingness to take risks, and to evoke a true sense of compassion for others.
All senior students participate in service activities and are encouraged to contribute a minimum of 30 hours per year, but many students exceed this requirement as they experience the many benefits of serving others. The Service Club, led by our two Service Stewards, meets twice per cycle and offers our students a place to collaborate on student-led service initiatives, and to explore local and global service-related topics and themes throughout the year. The club is open to any students in Grades 8-12.
Every year our students join the Junior School students as well as faculty and parents in the Terry Fox Run, which raises funds for cancer research. Hoops For Heart (Heart and Stroke Foundation) has the full participation of our senior student body; and our annual Relay For Life has become our largest student-led charity event - raising over $375,000 for cancer research in just its first four years!
Local Service
- For over ten years now, our advisories have made weekly visits to the Surrey Urban Mission to serve lunch to those who need a warm meal. Every Friday, students and advisors from a specific advisory group make soup and sandwiches from scratch, then deliver them to the mission, and serve lunch to the guests. It continues to be a rewarding and enlightening relationship for our students and for the mission.
- During our annual Christmas Hamper drive, Senior School students collect children’s toys, clothing, and food for specific teen mothers they are matched up with in the Growing Together Daycare Program.
- Through our Leadership Experience program in the fall, all of our Grade 10 students spend three days developing their global and local citizenship skills. This intense but enjoyable experience includes the opportunity to volunteer with non-profit organizations throughout the Lower Mainland. Senior school students develop long-term relationships with local charitable organizations such as Semiahmoo House, Options BC, and the Surrey Food Bank.
International Service
- Students and staff have opportunities to participate in the international service program which immerses Southridge students in developing world cultures to help them genuinely appreciate their responsibilities as global citizens. Each year, our senior students have the opportunity to experience rich cultural immersion in countries that have included India, Ecuador, and Kenya - and most recently, Uganda, Guatemala, and Cambodia.
- The trips provide our students the opportunity to help support community service projects, while developing their leadership and social action skills. These experiences become transformational because our students learn as much from those they are “helping” as they do from the helping itself. Fundraising, goal setting, as well as language and cultural training allow our students to take on personal responsibility for their trip. We believe these types of international experiences act as catalysts in our students’ lives and lead to lifelong commitments to service and a better comprehension of our global community.