Community Engagement

• World Smile Day: LS girls radiate joy through their "smile bomb" project, sharing sweet, uplifting messages on smiley face paper that foster a sense of unity and kindness throughout GA, from our youngest learners in the Cowan Center to seniors in the US.
• Community Service Day: Our girls practice gratitude through special hands-on projects on Community Service Day, from making pins for seniors, to decorating items for the local animal shelter, and creating a bit of magic with hidden fairy doors on our Glenville campus.
• Holiday Cheer: Students learn about the needs of others by donating toys and holiday baskets to families struggling to afford basic necessities. Their contributions bring warmth and joy to our neighbors in need, fostering a sense of gratitude and shared humanity.
• Sharing Love at MSK: Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Lower School Big and Little Sisters team up to make heartfelt cards for patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Though each card is unique, the message is universal: People are pulling for you!
• Students Rebuild: Each year our girls explore a crucial cause through Students Rebuild, from combating hunger to aiding refugees. They learn, create, and advocate, using art to illuminate the issue and drive change, with each submission triggering a $5 donation to peacebuilding organizations.
• Helpers in Training: LS girls work alongside older student leaders modeling compassion and inspiring them to serve. They create cards for Meals on Wheels recipients, decorate donation bags for Midnight Run missions, and participate in other school-wide service initiatives like Ingathering, SOUPer Bowl, and the Cereal Drive.

• Community Service Club: Community Service Club meets once a month to brainstorm and implement ideas on how to help our community. Girls in the CSC have beautified the GA campus, including down at MHK with the PC and CC students, made cards for veterans and cancer patients, and organized donations for drives.
• Kindness Club: Kindness Club aims to spread positivity and joy through random acts of kindness. Students learn about the importance of empathy and doing something kind for someone without expecting anything in return. We hope to raise awareness and build a kind MS community, put a smile on peoples faces and inspire students to engage in acts of kindness in and outside of GA!
• Sustainability Club: The MS Sustainability Club offers hands-on projects aimed at reducing waste and promoting environmental awareness. From introducing a compost bin and making composting part of daily snack routines, to supporting the Food Rescue program, which delivers unused cafeteria food to Kids in Crisis, students participate in meaningful projects. Students also explore sustainable design with the consulting firm Sasaki and help to plan Earth Day.
• Community Service Day: Every fall, MS girls attend a kick-off assembly where they learn about needs in our local community. Then, all students collaborate to collect essential supplies, with Group VII and VIII girls heading off-campus for hands-on assignments, such as cleaning up our local parks and volunteering in local preschools.
• MS Craft Fair: The MS Craft Fair is a treasured annual event that shines a light on our entrepreneurial and creative Middle Schoolers. The girls reflect on needs in the community and then vote on organizations they would like to support, then making and selling their own crafts to raise money for them.
• Gratitude for GA: Ahead of Valentine’s Day, MS big and little sisters team up to make cards for our amazing faculty and staff members, bringing joy to the GA community and fostering a sense of gratitude and appreciation.
• Gator Aid: This beloved annual tradition unites community spirit and competitive energy with an electrifying Dodgeball Tournament! Students raise funds or collect essential supplies for charities chosen by the Student Leadership Council, culminating in a thrilling dodgeball showdown between the winning team and the middle school faculty!
• Ms. President: Our girls are invited to participate in this amazing program through Upper School student leaders, which is dedicated to motivating and preparing girls to aim for the highest civic leadership positions, explore their own potential to lead, enhance skills, & expand knowledge of what it takes to be a leader.
• Active Helpers: MS girls take a more hands-on role in school-wide service initiatives, gaining valuable experience and leadership skills.

• The Center for Public Purpose: Upper School students explore and amplify their dedication to service through the Center for Public Purpose, which offers a comprehensive range of programs in service leadership, civic engagement, and global citizenship.

When cherished traditions bring the entire GA community together, the impact is powerful, fostering an immeasurable sense of unity and gratitude.

• Ingathering Assembly: Just before Thanksgiving, Raether hums with excitement as students arrive with all Thanksgiving fixings they’ve collected through their student-led drive. Seniors stand ready to sort these donations into 50 festively decorated hampers, including turkeys donated by faculty and staff, that are later delivered to local families in need. Students share community service updates and the Sally Casey Award is given to an Upper School student in recognition of her outstanding community service contributions. Learn more about this special award and past recipients.
• Midnight Run: Each year, GA unites to collect clothing, toiletries and personal care items and our seniors, working alongside faculty service leaders, take these critical supplies and food they prepare to unhoused men and women in NYC. “The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.”
• Cereal Drive: Each year, the GA community collects cereal and other critically needed supplies for Neighbor to Neighbor, helping to address food insecurity in greater Fairfield County.
• SOUPer Bowl: At the start of each year, Neighbor to Neighbor sends a list of the most needed canned food items for the basis of our SOUPer Bowl drive. For added fun, GA connects the drive to the Super Bowl game for added spirit and incentive for participation.
• Books in Bloom Book Drive: To foster a love of reading and promote literacy in Fairfield County, GA partners with Books4Everyone for our annual Book Drive. In the 2024-25 school year, we collected and distributed over 2,400 gently used books to neighboring schools, homeless shelters, food banks and nursing homes and expanded our Book Fair to include titles for $1.00.
• Red Cross Blood Drive: Each spring the Upper School hosts a Red Cross blood drive. Older students and faculty are invited to donate, and younger students help spread the word to GA families!

• Abilis
• American Red Cross
• Barbara’s House
• Books4Everyone
• Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich
• Building One Community
• Coffee for Good
• Family Centers
• Filling in the Blanks
• First Selectman's Youth Council
• Greenwich Social Services
• Head Start
• Horizons
• Meals on Wheels
• Memorial Sloan Kettering
• Neighbor to Neighbor
• Open Doors Shelter
• Pacific House
• Town of Greenwich