Academics

Service Learning & Leadership

ACS values the roles that service and leadership play in shaping confident, resourceful and caring young people.

This is why we require our Middle School students to complete a Service and Leadership component for graduation. Every ACS middle school student actively participates in conceiving, planning and implementing a small-group service project.

The projects are student-led, with faculty members and administrators serving in support roles.

The ACS Middle School Service Learning Program is a powerful hands-on learning tool, teaching students the importance of being part of their community, giving back through service and acting as leaders for change. Our graduates will go on to assume leadership roles in business and the social sector; it is part of the school’s mission to ensure that ACS alumni recognize their privilege and commit to making significant contributions to their world.

Each year, the Middle School students organize and conduct an impressive variety of projects reflecting the needs and concerns they deem critical and their projects tangibly benefit the school, local, regional and global communities. 

Here is just a sampling of their recent outcomes:
  • Organized a felt bears craft project for children and provided a movie afternoon for families at the San Jose Family shelter;
  • Worked as “blanketeers” for Project Linus;
  • Hosted a movie night on campus with refreshments and raised money for the World Wildlife Foundation;
  • Organized neighborhood recycling, with proceeds going to local libraries;
  • Designed and created a web site to fight animal cruelty and presented to ACS Elementary School students;
  • Organized neighborhood dog walking service with proceeds going to the Nike Animal Rescue Foundation;
  • Conducted clean-up campaigns at Lake Almaden, Guadalupe Reservoir and Almaden Creek;
  • Assisted with a pet adoption drive in San Francisco;
  • Served meals at Sunday Friends and House of Grace homeless shelters;
  • Worked with Student2Student exchange and created a pen pal relationship with a school in Honduras
  • Made blankets and toys for animals in a local shelter;
  • Volunteered at Andy’s Pet Shop;
  • Organized and conducted a neighborhood hygiene donation drive to support the EHC LifeBuilders;
  • Coordinated a canned food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank
  • Developed an anti-bullying web site and video.
For more information about the Middle School Service Learning program, contact our Principal, Mrs. Cecilia Robb.

As a graduate of ACS, I appreciate the community, quality and transparency that this school provides. When introduced to community service and concepts of serving others, I had no idea how important those would become as part of the driving force behind my career as a government employee and passion for serving my community as a leader. The transparency comes from the meaningful traditions and strong culture that ACS provides that helps mold children into intellects, leaders and dreamers."

— Brent Pearse, ACS graduate 1998, public relations at VTA and community leader

Nonprofit Partners

A sampling of organizations that ACS has partnered with over the past few years.

• Emergency Housing Consortium
• House of Grace homeless shelter
• Nike Animal Rescue Foundation
• Project Linus
• San Jose Family shelter
• Second Harvest Food Bank
• Student2Student
• Sunday Friends
• World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)

The price of greatness
is responsibility."

— Winston Churchill