Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Summer 2012 Issue | Page 30

PUTTING SERVICE AT THE CENTER OF A CENTENNIAL
ANN MELLOW
For St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Va., a 100th
anniversary theme of “Common Purpose. Uncommon
Impact” captured the school’s commitment to “prepare
each boy to rise to any occasion in life, school, work and
service to his community.” Including community service as a
central focus of the centennial year seemed natural.

“We wanted the centennial to honor the school’s
present and the future, as well as its past,” said head of
school Charley Stillwell. “Outreach and service are the core
and the essence of who are right now. We wanted to focus
attention on that in tangible and meaningful ways and to
engage the entire, extended St. Christopher’s School family.”

To do so, the school designated 100 Days of Service
between January 25 and May 3 as a time for students, alumni,
families, faculty and staff to engage in one or more specific
acts of service.

Led by a team of school chaplains and parent and
alumni volunteers, boys initiated and participated in gradelevel, divisional and school-wide service activities. Alumni
organized their own service activities by class. Current
and former faculty members gave chapel talks about the
importance of service in their own lives. Organizations within
the school such as the Parents Association, athletic teams
and the alumni association board embraced the challenge as
well, initiating their own service initiatives.

“We also wanted to tap into what people were already
doing that is really meaningful to them, to share that with
and inspire others,” said Stillwell. To do so, the school
leveraged its centennial Web site to publicize and share
individual and group action. The Web site included:
t An interactive list of service opportunities and organizations;

t On-line “Service Profiles” that highlighted alumni and

other St. Christopher’s “Saints” who have made service a
centerpiece of their personal and/or professional lives;
t A community blog that allowed students, teachers and

alumni to share and reflect on their service;
t A Google map to encourage current students and alumni

to add a marker and describe their service activities,
whether in Richmond or around the world;
t A Flickr feed to document and share service activities; 

t A Twitter hashtag to follow and comment on service

activities.
The results? “It was very powerful to see the community
stepping up a commitment to service at a new level. There
was a synergy that inspired creativity and group action that
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VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN / Summer 2012

will last beyond the 100 days,” said Stillwell. “Our second
century vision for the school is centered on leadership, and
leadership for us is when individuals channel their character,
life skills, and talents to make a difference. The 100 days of
service inspired a wide range of leadership moments.”
ABOUT ST. CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL

Founded in 1911 in Richmond, Va., St. Christopher’s
School serves 952 boys in junior kindergarten through
grade 12. During the 100 Days of Service, members of
the St. Christopher’s School community engaged in
approximately 11,000 hours of service with 175 different
organizations and raised over $363,000 in support of
various service organizations. Ser