Student Life

Kids Doing Community ServiceCommunity Service Experiences

A cornerstone of the Epiphany curriculum is our community service experiences. Not only do these experiences serve to embody what it means to be a global citizen, but they also embolden students to seek ways to change their world for the better. We never miss an opportunity to participate in community service experiences and we welcome our entire student body to see the value and feel the appreciation that comes from working directly with our New Bern community.

Community Service & Open-Hearted Faith in Action

To Love God and Your Neighbor as Yourself is more than simply a phrase; it's a call to action. To heed this call, students at Epiphany regularly participate in a variety of community service projects. We offer service experiences on specific school days, and also have an engaging “Odyssey Week” during the first week of school in which every student participates in numerous service projects throughout the New Bern community. 

Community Service Opportunities

In regularly scheduled programs that take place throughout the year, students at every grade level have the opportunity to participate in enriching community service events. Some of these service opportunities include:

  • Volunteering with literacy programs 
  • Visiting and feeding the infirm 
  • Clearing trash from public parks
  • Assisting at the local hospitals

Upper School seniors conclude their Epiphany journey by spending the last four weeks of their senior year participating in the “Love in Action” program that serves as a capstone to their Epiphany experience. To complete their “Love in Action” projects, seniors spend one month off-campus focusing on servant leadership with a marginalized population. In addition to local service projects, seniors have the opportunity to travel to Belize with the World Leadership School to work in impoverished rural communities. At the end-of-year banquet, each senior makes an oral presentation on his or her community service experience. The goal of these community service opportunities is to help students understand the role they play in making their communities a better place and instilling a sense of obligation toward stewardship and helping their fellow man.

Each school year begins with a whole school service day named "Faith in Action." Each advisory group on the Trent campus leaves the campus to work for various service and civic organizations around town. The Henderson campus classes choose a service that is often done on campus and delivered to service and civic organizations. Beginning the year this way emphasizes our commitment to serving the community as part of our identity as a school.

During the year, individuals and groups of students offer their services with the school's support. Often such service takes place during class time but the students demonstrate their responsibility and dedication to service by planning and fulfilling their academic obligations along with the service opportunities.