MS Students Learn and Serve
Before Christmas Break, the 8th grade split into two groups and took off for a day of serving and learning. One group went to Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights who played host to the first annual Diversity Conference for middle school students. They met with students from our sister schools Chicago West Side located in the Lawndale area of Chicago and Humboldt Christian School located in the Humboldt area of Chicago. It was a great time of getting to know each other and learning to appreciate our differences.
The principal of Chicago West Side, a Trinity Professor, and some Trinity students guided the middle school students through many get-acquainted games which helped the groups feel comfortable with each other rather quickly. A highlight of the day was a scavenger hunt, where the students had to work together deciphering clues and looking for the feathers that represented their group. Inspiring quotes and sayings from people like Martin Luther King Jr. were interpreted and explained by different members of each group.
The students discovered that although they came from different cultures and perhaps looked at an issue from their own ethnic perspective, that the meaning was the same for all of them. We are all created in God’s image and as such should treat each with respect. The common thread of Christianity played a huge part in defining what these sayings meant. After a few more team building activities that included dance, song, and speeches, the day concluded by acting out the book If the World were a Village.
The other half of our 8th grade went to the New To You resale shop located in Broadview. This is the resale shop that supports Timothy, Humboldt, Chicago West Side, and Daystar Christian Schools. The students split up and with the many wonderful volunteers and chaperones were able to accomplish many successful task for the Christmas shopping season. The students cleaned, raked, painted, and moved merchandise before joining the volunteers in their morning devotions. After a time of fellowship, it was back to work for everyone. New To You boasted their second highest day of sales after this service day, and the students all look forward to returning in the spring time.
