Beltsville Adventist School_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4230 Ammendale RoadBeltsville MD 20705

Phone 301-937-2933Fax 301-595-2431

E-mail BASchool@baschool.org

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Marcy Chang, Development May 7, 2023Phone: (301) 937-2933Fax: (301) 595-2431

CHRISTIAN SERVICE BELTSVILLE ADVENTIST SCHOOL STUDENTS HELPING OTHERS

Beltsville, MD – BAS operates on the belief that education “… involves more than the pursuit of a certain course of study. It means more than preparing for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.” Education, p. 13

This year BAS has shared a lot of the “joy of service” with its community and beyond. This year the students have collected non-perishable food for Thanksgiving baskets, prepared care packages for Operation Christmas Child, helped fill backpacks with food for children in need in their own community, the 8th grade class is volunteering their time helping special needs students at a local school and the puppets program continues its mission to share God’s love with others. In addition to these projects, BAS promotes a positive community within the school. The middle school students tutor the elementary school students, the fifth grade class mentors their Kindergarten little buddies, and eighth graders lead out in morning worship in the lower grades.

Annual Food DriveThe BAS annual food drive, in collaboration with the Beltsville Women’s Club, kicked-off our year of giving when BAS students collected over 1,000 non-perishable food items to help Beltsville area families in need during the holiday season. It’s very rewarding for the students to see the BAS lobby fill-up with donations to help others.

Feeding America BackPack ProgramThe students continued their community outreach working with the Beltsville Adventist Community Center to distribute food to local children in need in conjunction with the nationally recognized program, Feeding America BackPack Program. This program saw the need for children who qualify for free or reduced priced meals at school, to have access to meals on the weekend so they didn’t return to school Monday morning distracted from hunger. To help, BAS students pack backpacks with food, provided by the Rotary Club of Beltsville, to feed 50 children over the weekend. The backpacks are meant to feed one child, but BAS has learned it is often an entire family that survives off the food in the backpack. A sample backpack would contain: one can of vegetables, one can of beans, two single servings of fruit, 5-6 packets of oatmeal and a box of macaroni and cheese. BAS students have gained much from this service project; empathy for others, pride in helping others, and a greater understanding of community responsibility and Christian stewardship.

Operation Christmas ChildThis is the fourth year the students have helped Operation Christmas Child, a nonprofit that brings joy to children worldwide through gift-filled shoe boxes. The students filled over 150 shoe boxes with toys, school supplies, and necessity items, and then prayed for the children who would receive the boxes. Every shoebox filled offers an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with a child.

James Duckworth Elementary SchoolBAS eighth graders are volunteering as peer coaches for the students of James Duckworth Elementary School (Duckworth). Duckworth educates children with profound developmental and physical disabilities. Working as peer coaches, BAS students are assisting in training the students for their Challenge Day. The Challenge Day is based on training and participation rather than competition. While many eighth graders begin the program very apprehensively, teachers find by the end of the Challenge Day they are comfortable relating to their partners and are proud of the work they accomplished with their partners on Challenge Day.

Puppets ProgramThe BAS puppets program has been delighting audiences for close to 20 years. The puppets come to life thanks to the dedication of 10 BAS students in the fifth through eighth grades. The mission of the puppets program is to share God’s love and Bible stories through an interactive program. Mrs. Northrop, first grade teacher and puppets leader, creates the skits using popular Bible stories like David and Goliath and the Good Samaritan. Then the students practice the skit after school and perform at area churches. The puppets program teaches the students to take responsibility and pride in their work as others are counting on them to deliver a great performance. They know that their hard work and dedication is helping share God’s word with others through their puppets performances.

Tutoring and MentoringBAS has a long history of encouraging its students to be kind to one another and promotes an atmosphere of supporting fellow peers. The spirit of supporting one another comes alive every day at 3:00 p.m. when middle school students are partnered with elementary school students who need tutoring in reading. The middle school students read to their partners or have their partners practice reading to them. Younger students build confidence in their skills while being encouraged by older students, whom they look up to.

At the start of a new school year, fifth grade students are assigned a Kindergarten “buddy” who they will mentor and encourage as they adjust to their first year in school. The fifth graders accompany their buddies on field trips, participate in classroom functions together, and provide a friendly face in a school that is big and new to Kindergarteners. As the school year progresses, so does this special relationship. For years to come, these two buddies are often seen together in the hall as their friendship blossoms.

In addition to tutoring and mentoring, you can find BAS students planning and leading out during Week of Prayer, performing praise songs and worship in the each other’s classrooms and showing care for fellow classmates through prayer groups.

BAS believes that through these programs, we are helping raise a generation of youth that take pride in their commitment to serving others, because isn’t that really what it’s all about…serving others!

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