Issue II Final Layout (1)

december 2022 FEATURES | 09
Design by Cathy Wang ‘23 and Nicoly De Vasconcelos ‘24
Photography by Emilie Xie ‘24
Where Service Meets
the Classroom
An insightful interview with Ms. Malloy, Baldwin’s Coordinator of Civic Engagement
HAFSA KANCHWALA ‘25
Staff Writer
Baldwin students often get caught
up in piles of homework, hours
of athletic practice, and timeconsuming
club projects. But
should we be taking more time to step back
and appreciate our community in order to
properly “give back?”
“
Ms. Malloy
recommended that
students play to their
own strengths when
personalizing their
own contributions to
the community.
”
What does “service” mean to Baldwin
students? With such a heavy emphasis on
other activities, how can our school also
facilitate strong community outreach?
To answer these questions, I had the
opportunity to talk to Ms. Malloy, the
Coordinator of Civic Engagement at
Baldwin, to discuss our school’s work
toward serving our community.
Ms. Malloy recommended that
students play to their own strengths when
personalizing their own contributions
to the community. She highlighted the
encouraging movement towards long-term
commitments with service organizations,
and the growing student awareness of
and sensitivity around various issues.
Lastly, she discussed potential areas
of improvement and how Baldwin is
working towards an ever better tradition of
community service.
Q:
Q:
Why did you get involved with
service at Baldwin?
A:
When I came to Baldwin five years ago, I
realized that the service component needed
more structure and clearly-defined
goals. Service is a student’s ability to incorporate
their academic gifts and talents
into something that is tangible and useful.
An example can be a student who loves to
bake, they can use that skill to share baked
goods with organizations like Bethesda
Project. A student who is good at math
can use their gift to tutor children who are
struggling with math.
What is the best part about Baldwin’s
service program, and how is service
helping students grow?
Upper school students volunteer at Cradles to Crayons, a
Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization.
A:
Students are starting to make commitments
and find ways to engage in sustainable
long term projects. We are able to have
conversations about being respectful of
the communities and the people we serve.
Students have also learned to use different
terminology when describing folks who are
experiencing poverty and the many layers
that affect a person’s life.
Q:
How can Baldwin students enhance
their community engagement this
year?
KIVA heads Lulu Gunn ‘23, Katie Reed ‘23, and Bella Gillis ‘24
host weekly meetings and generate fundraising ideas in order to
promote the success of aspiring entrepreneurs.
A:
Our students have great potential to
do more and to build stronger ties with
our community partners. We need to
focus on essential questions, like: Why
is this important to us? Can we create
sustainable connections? What is our level
of commitment? When we can respond to
these questions with strong answers, we
are one step closer to creating a program
that meets people where they are, and
provides meaningful place-based service
and engagement.