With over 8,000 hours of community service completed by Randolph-Macon Academy students each year, our student body learns important lessons of independence, leadership, and confidence. Not only do they grow personally as they discover how they can make such an impact on their local communities, but they also build a strong resume for their college applications.
100% of R-MA graduates are accepted to top universities around the world. Not only do we consider challenging academics that support robust college applications, but we also pay close attention to students’ social and emotional growth through many extracurricular programs. Continue reading to learn how students help our community, and what lessons they learn along the way.
Learning Important Skills That Aren’t Found in the Classroom
While R-MA provides a supportive academic environment and well-rounded curriculum, not everything can be learned in a classroom. Students gain valuable lessons while volunteering and participating in community service events that they can carry with them throughout their college years and into their careers.
Specifically, R-MA students learn how to best communicate with one another for the greater good. Last year, for Patriot Day, students culminated across the local community to complete 19 different service projects. From landscaping to information updates at the local marquee, students had to work together in new territory to perform their tasks seamlessly. Refining communication skills and practicing patience and empathy help students learn how to work together in almost any setting, giving them practical experience for university and beyond.
Gaining a New Perspective While Attending Our Prep School
Students experience the multidimensional joys of getting involved in the local community by doing various service projects throughout their time at our prep school. They are able to take responsibility as open-minded and future-thinking individuals, giving them the sense of confidence they need to make a difference in the world.
Students learn about different populations within their community while connecting with individuals with whom they otherwise may not have crossed paths. A few years ago, for example, a creative English class project brought students together with special needs children and retired veterans in a local nursing home. R-MA students authored, designed, and published books that they then brought to these local community members to share their works and connect over a good read. The memories shared between each group were heartfelt, sincere, and one of a kind, giving students a new perspective on how they can connect with other local groups.
Connecting Their Education with Real-World Situations
Venturing out into local communities gives our college prep school students a chance to see how their schoolwork applies to the real world. Thinking creatively about community service projects, students can see the relationship between some of their topics of study and the people, places, and events happening around them.Â
Students in the Unmanned Systems Lab, who learn drone technology, were able to survey the surrounding land, monitor algae blooms, and communicate with the US Department of Agriculture. Students studying the arts are able to reconcile their work inside and outside of the classroom, understanding that visual and performing arts are a way to bring people together, no matter their background. Understanding the impact that their education can have on the real world helps students keep their motivations high as they pursue their academic, personal, and professional goals.
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