As students progress through each grade level, the focus on and engagement in the Community Action Project (CAP), the service project primarily for senior and juniors, increases. But how is CAP actually viewed by students? And why is there often a negative attitude about CAP?

 

“CAP is the culmination of a four or more, if students were in the lower and/or middle school here, year journey of service and community engagement. The purpose of our service program is to get students thinking about how they can become contributing citizens/members of their communities, even changemakers,” said Erica St. John, Upper School English and Service Learning Coordinator.

 

Service is embedded into Westridge culture, and students at every grade level complete a yearly service requirement. In middle school, students take a Service Learning class, and “eighth grade students use some of their class time to go out into the community and engage in service work with Westridge partners,” said Becca Marcus, Service Learning Coordinator and Dance Teacher.

 

Freshman and sophomore students complete different service activities each year in order to help them identify what their service interests are. The Service Handbook states, “During your freshman year, you must have two distinct service experiences. Do something you have never done before.” The requirement varies slightly for sophomores. “By the end of the year you need to have 3 service experiences that are EACH at least 3 hours in length and that (ideally) revolve around a theme.”

 

In junior and senior year,  students complete their Community Action Project, a project in which students engage in their community in a way that promotes change. “After learning more about the issues they care about and having service experiences OFF campus and IN their communities, students propose small or large projects that help meet a need,” said Erica St. John.

 

Despite all the benefits CAP has to offer, the negative attitude surrounding it still persists. Most students feel that the amount of time dedicated to CAP is difficult to manage with the high demands of being a student at Westridge. “I think CAP can be a burden because it’s hard to do it on top of school,” said Shania B., ’21.

 

The hours spent on CAP are not the only parts that negatively affect students. Many of the additional requirements can become challenging to manage. For example, the reflection requirement after CAP is yet another task to be added to students work. “We have to write like a 10 page essay reflection, which can be hard to manage,” said Olivia N., ’19. While the CAP requirements may feel like a "10 page essay," no official length specifications are outlined on the Service and Community Engagement Finalsite page.

 

Although CAP has numerous benefits, some students feel there are downsides. “It’s like we're forced to do it,” said Shanti R., ’21.

 

CAP’s many requirements can often overshadow the experiences and lessons learned. “I think in the process of planning CAP, you also work on different skills, and I think I have personally improved on communicating with people of authority/teachers, organizing dates, and involving my peers because the thing that makes something work out is to make sure people know about it.” said Kaylan P., ’20.