Chapin School is deeply committed to providing a variety of meaningful community service opportunities for its students.  Our commitment is based on the belief that we all have a responsibility to look beyond ourselves and to reach out to others. Through community service, students learn new skills, assume responsibilities, become aware of the needs of others, and learn the importance of unselfish serving and giving. Community service links students to the wider community, exposes them to people and situations outside their previous experiences, and helps prepare them to take a productive role in society.  Both students as well as service recipients benefit from such interactions.   

Some of the community service activities undertaken by our students in recent years include:

• adoption of an elementary school in Mississippi that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina (students collected toys, books, stuffed animals for holiday gifts, as well as coats and jackets)
• collection of over $2,600 for Tsunami Relief
• collection of winter coats for the Trenton Rescue Mission
• coordination, preparation, and serving of 800 bag lunches and hot meals at a local soup kitchen
• collection of hats, mittens and toys for holiday gifts for distribution by the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and/or Women’s Space 
• creation of Thanksgiving Food Baskets distributed by HomeFront for less fortunate neighbors 

In addition to these activities, and many more, our eighth graders are required to take a trimester course which focuses on service learning.