Our students are known city-wide for their committment to service.
Service to the greater community is at the heart of everything we do. It is just the nature of our community and it is at the center of being an Episcopal school—we guide and challenge all who attend our schools to build lives of genuine meaning, purpose, and service in the world they will inherit. We encourage our students to develop the habit of service because we believe that community service is one of the ways in which we all make the world a better place in which to live. By meeting and serving those who are less fortunate than ourselves, we better understand the world around us.
- To date, one Upper School and one Lower School student were honored by KVUE as recipients of the Five Kids Who Care award.
- Each year, seniors travel to New Orleans over Christmas break to continue in the rebuilding effort.
- Each fall, through a food drive challenge called the Harvest Bowl, students at all levels collect enough food to sustain the El Buen Samaritano food bank for almost a full year.
- In 2007, after learning about the LifeWorks Home Improvement challenge, 11 seniors transformed the apartment of a deserving young man. These students planned the design, raised funds for materials, furniture, and accessories, and physically completed the project on their own.
- In 2008, Upper School students independently came to the aid of a neighboring family whose home burned down shortly before Christmas, raising nearly $10,000 within one week.
- In 2009, students from grades 1-12 raised over $40,000 for the Gazelle Foundation to bring clean water to Burundi, Africa by selling t-shirts and water bottles, holding bakesales and penny wars, and doing chores or babysitting.
- At all levels, students are involved in keeping our school green. Whether it’s collecting daily recycling, cleaning up lunch rooms, or picking up trash around both campuses. Everyone pitches in!
Lower School Service
Beginning in the first grade, students are introduced to the idea of service through chapel stories, drama and ethics classes, and throughout the general curriculum. Lower School students participate the fall on-campus food drive, the Christmas toy drive, assembling “manna” bags, and full participants in the annual All-School service project. Students in the 5th and 6th are provided many opportunities to take their service into the greater community through our many organized school service trips to:
- St. James’ Episcopal School
- The Hope Food pantry
- The Retirement and Nursing Center of Austin
- The grounds of Shoal Creek for clean-up
Middle School Service
In the middle School, students are asked to complete at least 15 hours of service in both the seventh and eighth grades, for a total of 30 or more hours. Those who complete 30 or more hours graduate from the eighth grade “with Distinction.” Students can attend organized service trips through St. Andrew's to such organizations as:
- St. James’ Episcopal School
- Trinity Center for the Homeless
- Ridgetop Elementary School
As students get older, we also encourage them to volunteer on their own for organizations they feel passionate about like: area homeless and animal shelters, churches, or other nonprofit organizations.
Upper School Service
in the upper School, students are engaged in service in a variety of ways including the ninth grade weekly Service Learning class and off-campus trips to the Trinity Center for the Homeless and local elementary schools.
One of the highest honors upper School students can achieve at graduation is the Servant Distinction. This honor is reserved for those who have served at least 100 hours after completion of their tenth grade year. On average, 70% of seniors graduate with this distinction.
The most important service award recognized at graduation is the Scott Field Bailey Servant Award. It honors that senior whose dedication, selflessness, and deep concern for others best exemplifies the St. Andrew’s ideal that its students lead productive and responsible lives in their community.