Students Go on Service Trip — ESC Fifth-Graders Visit School, Mission

By Story; Photos Genetta Adair

Evangelical Christian School fifth-graders from the Forest Hill campus recently visited Memphis Union Mission and the Neighborhood School in the inner city to lend a hand and bring gifts.

The Neighborhood School is a private Christian school that provides educational programs for disadvantaged children in the Binghamton neighborhood.

This marks the sixth year for the fifth-grade class to spearhead this community service project with the help of their teachers Lindy Murley and Shireen Brandt.

“While our fifth-grade students and teachers lead this mission effort, our entire community at ECS Forest Hill work together to provide books for the Neighborhood School and food and clothing for the Memphis Union Mission,” said Forest Hill principal Chuck Smith.

On the day of their visit to the Neighborhood School, each ECS fifth-grader paired up with a student to read to them and give them a book.

Then the students swapped information about themselves with their new friends and took notes. The ECS students later sent holiday cards to develop ongoing relationships with the Neighborhood School children throughout the school year.

“This was an opportunity for all of the students to get to know each other and to share in a real learning experience from a child’s perspective,” said Neighborhood School principal Carolyn Ragland.

ECS student Fisher Smith said, “At the Neighborhood School, it was fun getting together with the little kids. I worked with a boy in the first grade.”

ECS student Gus Walt said, “I was paired with a boy in kindergarten. He wanted me to read the book to him, but he could read. And at the mission, we got to serve food. That was fun.”

When visiting the Memphis Union Mission, the fifth-graders worked non-stop until they left .

They set up the auditorium chairs, sa ng in a chapel program, set out the lunch tables, served the lunches, and then cleaned up.

Fifth-grader Bailey Clark said, “I liked when we were on stage and singing.”

In addition to developing relationships, fifth-grade teacher Lindy Murley said, “We want to open our students’ eyes to places where they can be of service to others and the Lord at the same time.”

For principal Smith, “This is one of the few field trips that I attend each year. Our ECS Mission Statement speaks of developing within our students ‘the vision and practice of excellence in service to others.’

“Our visit to the Neighborhood School and the Memphis Union Mission both educates our students about the variety of needs that exist in our community and challenges them to search within and see how they can get involved.”

Genetta Adair is an ECS communications writer.

Originally published by Story and Photos Genetta Adair / Special to My Life .

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