Wheaton Academy Celebrates Another Year of Ingenuity in Service

Service is one of our core values at Wheaton Academy. Through one-on-one mentoring and programs like Project LEAD, we seek to foster and instill the qualities of servant-leadership in all our students.

While this year has been fraught with unexpected challenges, we are so excited to share the ways that our students are continuing to serve the local and global community.

Before Quarantine

These are some of the ways that Wheaton Academy students were serving before quarantine…

• We kicked off the year with new seniors serving on Project LEAD teams.
• On our freshman orientation and service day, students packed nutritious meals for kids around the world at Feed My Starving Children.
• A group of students volunteered regularly at DupagePADS, serving the homeless.
• Students tutored kids at Puente del Pueblo, an after-school ministry in West Chicago.
• During Homecoming, students collected and delivered over 5,000 cans for the Neighborhood Food Pantry in West Chicago.

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• In November, students participated in service projects and performances built into our Instrumental and Furnace Company Tours.
• On Winterim Trips, students traveled on service trips to Guatemala, Peru, Scotland, Fiji, and the Dominican Republic
• During the initial Covid-19 outbreak in China, International Students raised money to purchase PPE in China.

During Quarantine

On March 13, we announced the necessary transition to e-learning. In spite of changing circumstances, students have continued to find creative ways to serve during quarantine…

• We partnered with 5 elderly care centers by sharing digital cards with residents.
• Hannah Young ’20 organized “Hope For Hospitals”—a project to send encouraging cards to local hospital staff.
• During this year’s Mr. WA competition, students raised over $3,500 for KidsAlive to support our sponsored children in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

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• MASTER students printed face shields on 3D printers for healthcare workers at local hospitals.
• Organized by Kelsie Benware ’20, music students created a virtual concert featuring nearly 50 performances to share with residents at Windsor.
• During HomeStaying, we collected 960 pairs of shoes for GoMinistries, a sports ministry in the Dominican Republic.
• Olivia Smith ’22 organized a book drive for SCARCE. So far, we have collected 1200+ books.

Mr. Bowling, our Director of Student Leadership and Service, shares, “I’m always amazed at the passion and ingenuity of young people who use their gifts to serve God’s kingdom. It is inspiring! It is my job to empower these student leaders—I want to say ‘yes’ to their ideas and initiatives as often as possible.”

Looking Ahead

We have a strong tradition of senior leadership on Wheaton Academy’s campus. Before our campus closed in March, we held our annual Junior Leadership Academy. Over 75 juniors attended this two day leadership training, before applying to serve on next year’s Project LEAD teams. During quarantine, we interviewed students over zoom and assembled six new leadership teams. Each team includes at least two faculty mentors who will help to guide and support our student leaders. We look forward to supporting these students as they step into their leadership roles, developing new and creative ways to serve during the 2020-2021 school year.

Soli Deo Gloria!