Al-Hikmah School: Advisor, Sr. Farah Chaudhry
Our school began a chapter of National Elementary Honors Society (NEHS) 2 years ago. Since then, we have focused our efforts on using this opportunity to teach our students about the importance of giving and community service.
This year NEHS at Al-Hikmah School is taking on 3 projects. The first is to get our school to go greener. Students in our school have all taken on a big role in this effort which has been completely orchestrated by the 5th and 6th Graders in NEHS. Students in NEHS performed skits to teach younger students about recycling and arranged for recycling bins to be placed in each of our classrooms and in high traffic areas. They also initiated a recycle patrol program to get all of our students excited about helping the environment and empower them in this effort!
The second project involves giving back to our school. The NEHS students will be hosting weekly tutoring sessions in all academic subjects. We feel that this peer-tutoring program will allow all of the students in our school to benefit as they learn to cooperate with their peers. Our students have begun to trust each other more fully as they all take responsibility for their successes and failures together. Additionally, research has shown that peer tutoring models help both the struggling and proficient students in understanding material more deeply.
Finally, our students will be giving back to our local community by volunteering and raising funds for local organizations, such as Wafa House. They also have started a blog where they reflect on their experiences and share with the rest of the community.
We feel that these 3 projects will help our students understand the importance of giving back to their school, local communities, and the world at large!
Students learn about the importance of recycling during an NEHS organized presentation by GreenFaith.