King CARES
Community engagement is central to educational excellence.
This program combines service learning with community engagement to help students achieve an understanding of their skills, explore areas of interest, build empathy, and engage with multiple perspectives. Through the process, they discover how they can use their skills and interests to strengthen our community through a partnership among students, families, faculty, staff, and partner organizations. As the students participate, they problem-solve and further develop leadership, collaboration, and communication skills, as well as a greater understanding of who they are, our shared humanity, and their role in the community.
King Cares prepares students to positively impact an interconnected society through civic and social engagement.
King Cares Service Program
The King Cares Service program follows King School’s belief that community engagement is central to educational excellence into action. This program combines service learning — a curriculum-based teaching and learning strategy involving research, action, and reflection — with community engagement opportunities.
The program’s interdisciplinary nature helps students achieve a deeper understanding of their skills, explore further areas of interest, build empathy, and engage with multiple perspectives. Through the process, students discover how they can use their skills and interests to strengthen our community through a reciprocal learning partnership among students, families, faculty, staff, and partner organizations.
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As students participate in meaningful community engagement opportunities, they develop leadership, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills. They also cultivate a greater understanding of who they are, of our shared humanity, and of their role in the community. The King Cares experience prepares them for lifelong civic and social responsibility in an interconnected society where they can make an impact. |
Examples of Programs
The King Cares Service Learning program is incorporated throughout the entire school community of students, teachers, staff, and families. Often working in partnership with community organizations, the programming occurs in several iterations in and out of the classroom, depending on the project. Initiatives, which are infused into the students’ school days, are sometimes school wide and at other times led by a class, grade, advisory, division, club, or department.
King Cares also offers opportunities for students to participate in activities after school on and off campus in all divisions and be part of youth committees with partner organizations. The program also facilitates travel opportunities in collaboration with the Global Education program, Athletics, and Performing Arts. Ultimately, if a student wants to make community engagement an ongoing part of their King objectives, this program makes it possible.
| All School |
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Here are a few of the annual King Cares events:
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| Lower School |
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The Lower School King Cares projects include writing letters to veterans for Operation Gratitude, collecting blankets for upper school students to deliver to the homeless on the Midnight Run, painting pumpkins and writing Valentines for residents in the Long Ride Post Acute Care Center, painting bird houses for the garden at Building One Community in Stamford, and more. Lower school students can also participate in the King Cares Club during the fall, winter, and spring sessions through after-school activities. Examples include:
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| Middle School |
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Middle School students have the opportunity to participate in ongoing after-school service Examples include:
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| Upper School |
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The Upper School features numerous student-run clubs and activities that address causes ranging from homelessness and hunger to literacy and the environment. Additionally, upper school students are central to the coordination and logistics of the all-school King Cares activities. The Upper School also presents collaboration opportunities between clubs, for example the Health and Wellness Club oversees the holiday cards for patients at Stamford Hospital, and the King Connections Club manages the Lower School production of Kindness Rocks. Read more about our Interdisciplinary Learning with Global Education, King Cares and Athletics within the Upper School. |
King Cares Partnerships
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King Cares Annual 5K Walk/Run
King student-athletes from the fall athletic teams will host the annual King Cares 5K fun walk/run benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford, as well as the Orphaned Starfish Foundation. Your contribution or participation in the event will not only go to help fund programs but also help King students engage in a reciprocal learning experience through community outreach, a key component to the King mission statement. Donations of all sizes are accepted.
- 9:15 a.m. Registration at Simon House Lawn
- 10:00 a.m. Race Starts
Registrtion for 2025 will open in the early fall.
For more information about the King Cares Service Program, please contact Karen Raidt, Director of the King Cares Service Program & Student Services, at kraidt@kingschoolct.org.
