Service Learning

Above all else, Gilman seeks to help boys grow into men of character. We believe that the qualities of honor, leadership, dedication, and service to others must be emphasized and reinforced through all aspects of the school community. Here are some of the service learning projects in which students participated this school year.

ANOTHER READ-A-THON IN THE BOOKS

Lower School boys collectively read for more than 4,893 hours during their monthlong annual read-a-thon in February/March. The original goal was 500 hours, a milestone they reached on the very first day! And, as if the thousands of logged reading hours weren’t accomplishment enough, the boys also raised nearly $25,000 for Thread, a Baltimore organization that works to bring connection throughout the community.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP

A partnership between Gilman and Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School (BMPCS) brought students from BMPCS to Gilman’s campus every Wednesday afternoon beginning in February for a math lesson with Director of Service Learning and math teacher Donell Thompson, Jr. ’91 followed by one-on-one tutoring sessions with Upper School students. Their time at Gilman wasn’t limited to classroom learning; the students had access to other resources on campus as well.

HOOPS FOR HABITAT

Touted by Thompson as “the most lit occasion” of the school year, Middle Schoolers enjoyed a fun-filled Hoops for Habitat event (including both basketball hoops and hula hoops) in the Old Gym on Tuesday, February 22. All proceeds — $1,400! — benefited Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, which works to meet Central Maryland’s need for affordable housing.

SUSTAINABILITY STUDENTS SHARE THE FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR

Sustainability students revived use of the geodesic dome-shaped greenhouse — or geodome — that sits behind Gilman’s athletic fields and hadn’t been used since 2017. The project — to use aquaponics, a system that marries the ideas of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water instead of soil), to grow food — has been ripe with lessons not only about crop production but also about collaboration. The group looks forward to donating crops from their harvest to the Donald Bentley Food Pantry.