We at Independence Secondary believe in addressing the whole student in preparing them to be productive citizens. Community Service is a vital component of our program. We want students to understand and experience the importance of giving back to their community. Also, service is a great way to raise self-esteem! When students collectively work on a task, they learn cooperative and leadership qualities as well. Often students who do not perform well in the traditional school setting excel at hands-on tasks, which is a basic component of community service.

In the past, we have completed gardening and landscaping projects for area residents,cleaned our Adopt-a- Spot, and have participated in a variety of projects at Nellies Cave Park in Blacksburg, including mulching, planting trees, gardening, and building retaining walls. We have also worked with the Humane Society, Heritage Hall Nursing Home, Women's Resource Center, Christiansburg Primary School and other area agencies to complete projects.  We also continue to monitor Toms Creek at Kentland Farms for Virginia's Save Our Streams program, and to hold our annual IS Food Drive.  During the holiday season, the non-perishable food and the pet food and supplies that we collect in local neighborhoods goes to help out several local agencies, such as the Montgomery County Food Bank, and the Animal Hope Alliance.  This year, we have collected almost 1100 lbs. of "people and pet" food and supplies!!!

We find our school community grows in closeness as a result of community service projects. The staff is able to continue building relationships with students as we all work side-by-side. It also gives students and teachers an opportunity to see each other in a different context.

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