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IB students get an education in community service

Oct. 29, 2025

A girl reaches for a pack of cereal with handmade cards on top, in front of two girls loading a bag on a rolling belt.

Students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) went out to engage the community on Oct. 23 at Ozarks Food Harvest, Springfield Community Gardens and Watershed Committee of the Ozarks. 

The MYP offers students a challenging series of courses that connect their studies with real-world issues and circumstances. Community engagement is a required component of the program that encourages students to apply what they’re learning and the skills they’re developing in class to address a community need. At each nonprofit, the students learned about the work done by the organization and took part in a service project. 

A man stands in front of a van that says Springfield Community Gardens talking to a group of students.

Students at Ozarks Food Harvest got a tour of the food bank and packed bags of food as part of their Weekend Backpack Program. The bags go to local elementary school children so they will have food over the weekends. 

A boy in a hat places a cardboard box on a pallet of other similar boxes. A girl ties a plastic bags of groceries next to a student loading two bags into a cardboard box. A student holds up a plastic bag as the first step in a line of grocery bagging.

At the Watershed Center, students assisted in grounds projects that sustain and improve the water resources of Springfield and Greene County. While all the students worked hard to help, one student went above and beyond and was awarded with an arrowhead by the project leader. 

A group of students with shovels load gravel into the back of a utility vehicle. Students cary a green bucket of gravel at the Watershed Center. A man hands a girl an arrowhead as three students look on.

By engaging in these service projects, students develop a deeper understanding of how their education can be applied beyond school, preparing them for future academic and life challenges. These kinds of experiences also prepare the students to be well-rounded, thoughtful members of their communities.