Public Purpose

The SET (Saturday Enrichment and Tutorial) program is a tuition-free academic enrichment program whose goal is to improve English literacy skills for first through fourth grade students. SET is designed to give local public school students extra support during the school year and improve their reading and writing skills. Classes are taught by a team of trained RCDS Upper School student mentors who use curriculum developed by Lower School faculty members. In addition, SET offers an English Language Learners (ELL) program for parents at the same time as the student program. The ELL program is taught be a team of RCDS faculty, staff, parents, and students, and it is offered at no charge. In addition to learning English, adult participants also learn how to support their children’s literacy skills at home. The program gives RCDS students firsthand experience as community partners, educators, and collaborators as they build meaningful connections across districts and communities.
 

ACTION is a summer academic enrichment program for highly motivated public school students who will be entering seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. The program, held at RCDS, runs through the month of July from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ACTION seeks to expand the academic and intellectual horizons of promising students from local communities that may not have the resources available to provide academic enrichment programs. Other than a $50 enrollment fee and transportation to and from the School, ACTION's program is offered at no cost to families. ACTION promotes confidence and strength of character while helping students grow academically and develop as leaders.

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The SCOPE (Student-Centered Outreach, Partnership, and Enrichment) program is an after-school academic enrichment program that fosters literacy skills, critical thinking, and self-expression in fourth and fifth grade students from neighboring school districts. Trained RCDS Upper School volunteers teach all SCOPE classes. Fourth grade students in SCOPE classes use a variety of strategies to analyze a written text, support responses with textual evidence, and write to express their ideas. Fifth grade students explore the topic of civil rights while engaging with a wide variety of texts, including short biographies, poetry, and primary documents. The SCOPE curriculum is supplemented by enrichment activities, including poetry, visual arts, music, movement, STEM, and journalism.
 

SiSTEM (Students in STEM) is a tuition-free after-school academic enrichment program focused on developing participants’ skills and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. RCDS Upper School student volunteers teach fifth grade students from local public schools through engaging hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity and excitement.
 

In 2012, two RCDS Upper School students founded A-Chord with Kids, a volunteer program through which Upper School students teach music to children at the Port Chester Carver Center. A-Chord’s mission is to foster in the Carver children an appreciation of music through interaction with high school musicians who wish to share its invaluable lifelong benefits with those who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Each Saturday, RCDS students volunteer with A-Chord and help unite students of different ages and backgrounds in making music together.

SWAT (Students Working to Advance Technology) is a student-run after-school computer coding program for both RCDS Middle School students and students from local public schools. SWAT was founded by an Upper School student who wanted to teach coding to Middle School students at RCDS, and the program has now expanded to the Carver Center’s after-school program at Thomas Edison School in Port Chester with great success.

Through the College Board’s service learning AP with WE program, Upper School students in AP-level computer science courses develop and implement projects that serve nonprofit organizations and address community needs. Projects have included designing databases for nonprofit organizations and teaching local children about robotics.

Combining upper level Spanish with Public Purpose, students visit Caritas of Port Chester to assist with the organization’s day-to-day work of setting up tables for lunch service, bagging fresh produce, loading carts, and helping clients with their food selections, all while communicating in Spanish. 

Coordinated by the Director of Public Purpose and the Director of Diversity and Inclusion, the Social Justice Committee invites faculty, staff, and students to engage in conversations related to social justice, inequity, access, power, privilege, citizenship, and activism within the RCDS community and beyond.

Students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 engage in yearlong service learning projects in which they identify and focus on an area or issue about which they are passionate. Through working on these projects with faculty guidance, students gain insight into the systemic, societal, and economic factors that shape communities, and they act in different ways to address the issue they have chosen to explore, from creating poster campaigns to making awareness-raising videos and designing and implementing fundraising initiatives. 
 

RCDS Students, families, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in this annual day of service, which is held in partnership with a local organization, to honor Dr. King's legacy by working together to help others in the community.
 

Every fall, the RCDS community comes together to collect items to be donated to one of our community partners, the Carver Center Food Pantry in Port Chester. The CAN DO drive, which fills the pantry's shelves through January, encourages members of the school community to do their part in combating hunger in the local community.