Service & Leadership

Service learning is a long-standing tradition in the Lower School and is an important component of our curriculum. St. Timothy’s students take part in a myriad of service projects. In kindergarten, students donate a toothbrush when they lose a tooth and place it proudly on the “Tooth Fairy Tree.” Second graders assemble care packages for troops serving stateside and overseas. Some grades collect food, books or clothing for the underserved, while other grades visit our special friends at assisted living centers throughout the year. While projects are a significant aspect of service learning, we also emphasize the importance and impact of service.

Middle school students are active in community service in many ways. Each grade level participates in at least one service project as a group—for example, seventh graders volunteered at the Food Bank of Eastern Central North Carolina one year, while sixth graders made cards and gave them residents of a memory care community. We encourage other opportunities as well. Our student leadership group, the St. Timothy’s Student Council, chose to collect items for the Salvation Army of Wake County Women and Children’s Emergency Shelter. For several years in a row, the Student Council has also hosted Rise Against Hunger events, preparing over 10,000 meals each time. Each spring, students produce and participate in a talent show to help support a charity of their choosing.

For all service opportunities, we work to support students in developing perspective by learning context and background about the task they are undertaking and the people they are serving. Truly understanding the work makes it concrete and meaningful, helping to create engaging and thought-provoking conversation before, during, and after each act of service.

Middle school students who track their volunteer hours earned at school or in the community may be eligible for the Titan Service Award, modeled after the President's Volunteer Service Award, announced at the end of the year. Students may keep track of their hours using the form found on MySTS.

Fifth- through eighth-graders can run for the St. Timothy’s School Student Council. Students chosen by their homerooms serve a one-year position on the Student Council. Students can also run for officer positions. Members act as liaisons to their homerooms and have many opportunities to practice leadership skills and serve our community throughout the year.

The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) chapter at St. Timothy’s School is open to rising eighth-grade students. NJHS students regularly provide service to the school community and assist at various school-sponsored events.

Students are eligible for NJHS admission at the end of their seventh-grade year. Students who have a scholastic average of 93.5 or above in all subjects are alerted to their eligibility and given the opportunity to apply for NJHS membership. Specific application requirements reflect the basic tenets of the NJHS, including scholarship, character, leadership, service, and citizenship. The final selection is determined by a faculty council.

Our Biggles & Littles program pairs a fourth-grader with a kindergartener and our Study Buddies program matches a fifth-grader with a first-grader. Older students lead younger students in engaging monthly sessions planned by teachers. These programs are extremely popular and give all the students an opportunity to feel connected with students from other grades.