Service Learning is a key element of the PCACS and AngliSchools Mission.
The PCACS YMAD (Youth Making a Difference) group, led by Mrs Melanie Hunt and PCACS Service Captain, Lily McGavock has started meeting regularly, with volunteer students from the Senior School. By week 3, over 30 members have been actively attending! The group has already discussed and made plans for events such as Crazy Hair Day and the World's Greatest Shave.
This year, Crazy Hair Day will be run across both Campuses, with students from Pre Kindergarten to Year 12 encouraged to come to school with wild hair, a beanie or a fun hat, in exchange for a gold coin donation.
As for the World’s Greatest Shave, which will take place on Crazy Hair Day, we’ve had 2 Staff members and 6 students bravely sign up to take part and raise funds for this important cause:
- Mr Jordan Foyle
- Mr Chris Harry
- Rhys Morton
- Lochlan Parnell
- Ollie Crowder
- Annabelle Cardew
- Hannah Rowse
- Anushka Pun
But YMAD doesn’t stop here! We consistently have multiple projects going at once, with new ideas raised by students each week. We recently had a group of YMAD girls volunteer to deliver toiletries to staff bathrooms over two lunchtimes—a task led by Phoebe Fusire, that may go unnoticed but is deeply appreciated by the staff. Today, we had YMAD students helping to tidy up the School grounds during lunch in preparation for Clean Up Australia Day, which takes place next weekend. Over the next few weeks, YMAD students will also begin weeding the old Meridian Garden in preparation for a new crop! And finally, looking ahead, we also have several students proposing future service initiatives, including a can collection drive during Term 2's Spirit Week.
In other news, the 12 Anglicare Ambassadors are attending the Anglicare Ambassador Launch at Christchurch Grammar School today. They are meeting with ambassadors from other Anglican schools and learning more about the role. These ambassadors are integral to the YMAD group, helping to organise activities each Wednesday. Some students are even sewing felt hearts as part of a feel-good initiative.
Service Learning plays a huge role in PCACS students’ lives, and it never goes unnoticed to have students volunteering their time, taking part in these fundraising initiatives, or going above and beyond in other ways to help our wider community.