Community Service
Rooted within the school culture is a strong commitment to community service. Such activities include: food drives, clothing drives, Adopt-a-Highway program (Route 212), and community gift drives. Students do service work at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, a local non-for-profit animal rehabilitation sanctuary, volunteer at Family of Woodstock, and help in harvesting apples at area orchards. Many of these programs occur yearly, and the school as a “good neighbor” continues to be invited back.
Through Community Service, we are reaching out beyond the campus to help serve local organizations, and instill in students an important awareness of economic and racial diversity, and the feeling of fulfillment that comes from helping others.
“Leith of Life Day” is an event which takes place on the Woodstock Day School campus each spring. The day is dedicated to a beloved WDS employee, Leith Rogovin, who was part of the school for twenty years before passing away from cancer in 2016. Leith ran the community service program, and considered community service to be imperative to the development of our students’ character.
On this day, “Leith of Life Day”, students from every grade level either work on campus or leave campus with their teachers in order to engage in some form of community service.
Students clean up the highway, work in homeless shelters, play games with seniors and perform concerts at nursing homes, build gardens and help clean up the campus. Honoring Leith’s life and work is a unique part of our culture.