On Friday, May 8, St. Michaels University School's Grade 10 students fanned out across Greater Victoria for one of two annual Service Learning and Community Engagement Days, spending their morning alongside community organizations before returning to campus to turn what they had seen and heard into action.
The day marked the culmination of a year-long curriculum in which students explore areas of community need, research local organizations, and invite representatives to campus to learn about their work. Service Learning and Community Engagement Lead Elisha Gardiner describes the morning as an opportunity for something more immediate.
"It's all about students heading off campus to, in an ideal world, experience a moment or a spark of inspiration with an organization that is connected to a community cause or issue they are passionate about," she said.
Into the Natural World
Several groups spent the morning in natural settings. Two visited Goldstream Provincial Park — one meeting with a member of the Wilderness Committee to learn about long-term conservation advocacy for the forested watershed, the other hiking Mt. Finlayson before creating forest floor art from natural materials in the park's outdoor learning spaces. A third group worked in the school's community garden on Knight Avenue, applying STEAM and design-thinking principles to real garden challenges alongside Biology teacher Tiffany Webber.
Into the Community
Other students engaged with organizations addressing some of Victoria's most pressing social needs. Groups visited the Mustard Seed Street Church, Shelbourne Community Kitchen, and Our Place Society's annual "Beauty Day", an event offering women experiencing vulnerability haircuts, beauty treatments, and genuine human connection. Two groups hosted Cool Aid Society staff on campus, completing a volunteer orientation and baking cookies and writing cards for seniors at a nearby Cool Aid-connected residence. Still others toured The Foundry, the James Bay Community Centre's Better at Home program, and the BC SPCA, each encounter offering a different lens on community care.
Into Action
All groups returned to campus in the afternoon to develop a one-page action plan and a draft two-year advocacy timeline for their partner organization. The work is designed to stretch well beyond a single school day. Students who want to continue can opt into the Service-Learning Inspired Community Engagement (SLiCE) Champions co-curricular program in Grade 11.
The day closed with a keynote from Grade 12 student Ruby Dieringer '26, who spoke about finding her place at SMUS through service learning and her work leading the school's current Soap for Hope hygiene drive. Her message to the Grade 10s was an invitation: the program, she told them, is a place to find people who share your values and act on them together.
Grade 10 Service Learning and Community Engagement Day
Grade 10 Service Learning and Community Engagement Day
Grade 10 Service Learning and Community Engagement Day
Grade 10 Service Learning and Community Engagement Day
Grade 10 Service Learning and Community Engagement Day
Grade 10 Service Learning and Community Engagement Day
