Community service is emphasized in a Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart education. Goal III of all Sacred Heart schools seeks to educate to a social awareness that impels action. With this in mind, Woodlands Academy held the first of its two 2024-25 Service Days on Sept. 17. Freshmen and juniors from the all-girls college-preparatory day-and-boarding high school in Lake Forest lent a helping hand to some area service organizations. At the same time, sophomores and seniors participated in retreat activities.

The day began at Woodlands Academy with a discussion of why the school emphasizes service to its surrounding community, during which some juniors shared their past service experiences with the freshmen.

Equipped with this insight, Woodlands’ freshmen spent the rest of the morning helping sort books at Bernie’s Book Bank. This Lake Bluff-based organization sources, processes and distributes free quality children’s books throughout Chicagoland to empower children to explore new ideas, gain knowledge and strengthen reading skills through book ownership. During the afternoon, Woodlands Academy freshmen helped organize supplies for homeless youth at Fill a Heart 4 Kids in Lake Forest. They brought with them some boxes of cereal and McDonald’s gift cards previously donated by members of the Woodlands community for the homeless, at-risk, and foster children Fill a Heart 4 Kids serves.  

Woodlands’ juniors began their day of community service at Lamb’s Farm in Libertyville, an organization well known for helping people with developmental disabilities lead productive, happy lives. While there, they prepared boxes to help with the bakery's upcoming holiday sales. During the afternoon, junior class members worked at Lake Forest Open Lands, maintaining trails and picking invasive species at the Jean and John Greene Nature Preserve. Since 1967, Lake Forest Open Lands has acquired, preserved, restored and maintained over 900 acres of highly diverse native landscapes for the benefit of the local community.

 “I’m so very proud of our freshmen and juniors who did truly awesome work during this year’s first Service Day,” said Erin Brysiewicz, Woodlands Academy’s service coordinator. “We do this with the hope that the girls gain a greater understanding of themselves and see the difference they can make in the lives of others.”

Meanwhile, Woodlands’ sophomores took part in a day-long retreat at the Gloria Dei Center that encouraged their active engagement with Sacred Heart Goal III, seeking to educate to a social awareness that impels action. Participants were engaged and challenged during this day of reflection.

Senior class retreat activities were held at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat Center in Barrington. With a "Discernment" theme, the retreat provided Woodlands' seniors with space, time and tools for personal discernment. 

Woodlands Academy's final Service Day of the 2024-25 school year is in February. Sophomores and seniors will volunteer at area service organizations while freshmen and juniors participate in retreats.

The school's service program requires freshman to perform 10 hours of service during their first year at Woodlands. Sophomores, juniors and seniors must do 20 hours of service per year. In addition, students annually complete a written reflection for each of their service sites. Many Woodlands Academy students become passionate about service and far exceed the required minimum of 70 hours.

Pictured: Some of the freshman class members helping sort books at Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff on Sept. 17.