Leadership and Service
At Villa Maria Academy Lower School, our mission is to empower young women through leadership and service in the IHM tradition.
Leadership
It is important for girls to see themselves as leaders from the beginning.
Villa Maria Academy Lower School empowers students to be bold leaders. At Villa, students are taught that leadership is primarily related to the power of their influence. Internalizing this concept, we believe, is the foundation to future success.
Embedded in the academic program is a commitment to the understanding of group dynamics, social responsibility, and leadership through love and service.
Service
The primary Gospel mandate is that of service. Service learning helps students to build character by allowing them to foster and develop personal values, beliefs, awareness, confidence and a sense of empathy and social responsibility. Students learn to understand the impact of the individual on the local and global community. Service is a key leadership tenet that permeates every aspect of Villa’s culture.
Emphasis on service includes
- School-wide student service projects
- Collaboration with community charity programs
- An outreach component to Student Leadership Team
- Service programs required of all athletic teams
- Support of student/family service projects
- Daily opportunities to be of service to one another
- Responding to the immediate needs of the most vulnerable
Service projects
Although projects change each year, below are some of the projects and organizations which Villa has and continues to support.
- Annual Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive with Nutritional Development Services
- Support for the IHM Family Literacy Center in Coatesville, PA
- Valentines gift boxes for the IHM Sisters at Camilla Hall
- Financial support For CuddleMyKids
- Collection of Christmas gifts with The Delaware Valley Children’s Charity
- Collections for service men and women through Operation Gratitude
- Creation of polar fleece blankets for Project Linus
- Collection of Easter baskets for Saint Agnes Day Room
- Empty Bowls Soup Supper to benefit the Chester County Food Bank