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Civic Engagement

Working to Make a Difference

A growing number of colleges and universities are emphasizing civic engagement in their curriculum—a move institutions say is in response to an erosion of public discourse.* Harley has made civic engagement a cornerstone of our programming since we were founded in 1917.

We prepare students to become citizens able to use their knowledge and energy to accomplish meaningful activities in their communities. As today’s students show renewed interest in activism and political engagement in order to resolve problems they identify, we help them acquire skills needed to make their efforts effective.

The Harley School Definition of
Civic Engagement

“Civic engagement” means understanding the root causes of social issues and fostering within Harley students and faculty a sense of personal responsibility to advocate for positive social change according to their values.

The Briggs Center for Civic Engagement

The Briggs Center for Civic Engagement focuses on programs that put students, faculty, and the institution in positions of civic leadership. Harley is nationally recognized as a leader in partnerships that close the achievement gap for urban students from impoverished families.

In 2015, the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, Monroe Community College, and The Norman Howard School launched summer programs based on Harley’s model forming a regional consortium, the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association.

Divisional Work

Harley students participate in community service both on- and off campus. This allows them to develop skills, make contacts, and improve the quality of life of others. It also provides students with the opportunity to become active members of their community and has a lasting, positive impact on society at large.

MLK Day On!

MLK Day On is a day for Harley, Horizons, and the Greater Rochester communities to come together in a variety of projects, community service, and sharing. Many of our families attend for all, or part, of the day. 

Middle and Upper School

Harley hosts MLK Day On events for Middle- and Upper School students and their families, Horizons families, and the public. With a goal of taking the opportunity to pause and reflect on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message and impact there are readings, a screening of MLK video clips, team building activities, and interactive stations including: mural making, art, an interview booth, and cooking in the Commons kitchen. 

Lower School and Horizons present “Dr. MLK Day of Solidarity”

Held in the Centrum at Harley, a variety of guest artists lead families in interactive activities including: solidarity quilt making, a drumming circle, and interactive spoken-word sessions.

This is an impactful, unique, and memorable event.

Middle School: Brightening Birthdays 

Several years ago, Volunteers of America launched Brightening Birthdays, a program to make sure children experiencing poverty or homelessness have a chance to celebrate and receive the party all youngsters deserve. Our entire Grade 8 is involved in planning and fundraising (including an awesome bake sale!). Different students are involved in differing parts of the process, but every Grade 8 student participates. The kids come together to brainstorming themes, talk about what should go in the  goody bags, and which are the best games, activities, and crafts to bring along. They also collect socks and books for people at the shelter to choose from. There is a lottery to determine which 10-12 students will go onsite for the actual party.

Upper School

Beyond Soup is a student group in the Upper School that cooks a meal at St. Joe’s House of Hospitality soup kitchen a few times a year. The students identify recipes, gather ingredients, and cook a meal on select Sundays at the soup kitchen. When possible, they attempt to incorporate food from the Harley garden. A current student is investigating ways to connect Beyond Soup to Harley academic classes, as well.

Sample Classes and Programs

Rights & Responsibilities

A required, one trimester class for all Grade 9 students with a simple goal: to encourage informed and active citizenship. 

Developed with the belief that everyone already has skills they can use to contribute to community growth, this class enables students to enhance old skills and practice new ones to gain new knowledge about our communities and how to contribute to them. 

Being an informed and active citizen is a lifelong process and this course is only one step. In order to begin (or continue) the process students design advocacy projects to explore issues that impact the health of our communities and take action.

Students participated in PhotoVoice, using ethical photography to promote positive social change.

Experiences beyond the school campus

Students engage in field experiences off campus in a variety of ways including through field trips, service work, and school collaborations. These moments are opportunities for students to connect what they learn in the classroom to the world beyond Harley. It also is a time for students to fully engage interdisciplinary skills they develop in the academic program such as collaboration, empathy, and investigation.

The Harley upper school participates in Roc2Change, a youth Race Summit is a student-led initiative to “bring students together from Monroe County schools, both public and private,  to engage in facilitated dialogue with peers related to race, racism, privilege, internalized racism, non-racism, and anti-racism. They are working together to develop plans to be the change.” The event happens two times a year, once in the fall and in the spring.

Grade 5 students wrote letters to Honor Flight veterans and then welcomed them home at the Rochester airport on Sunday afternoon! 

Senior Capstone Program

The Harley School senior capstone program is a culminating academic experience for students with an authentic interest in a particular field. The program includes research, engaging in a meaningful project, ongoing reflection and documentation, and a public presentation at the end of the year. The project component can take several forms–a film, podcasts, poetry book, thesis, educational website, coding, the possibilities are many. The capstone is not for everyone, as students must be self-directed, resilient, and comfortable with authentic assessment. Students are assigned a capstone advisor and work with other adults in both the Harley community and outside of Harley. The capstone is a unique opportunity for students to direct and design their own learning.

Sample Capstone Projects:

  • Multilingual instructional videos about daily life activities for Mary’s Place to use to show refugees how to use common appliances. 
  • Biomimicry Education: A series of lessons used by the senior to teach Grade 4 students about biomimicry. The children explored the major concepts of biomimicry and designed their own biomimicry project. 
  • “Moments in Between” poetry book about one student’s transgender experience. 
  • Designed and built an interactive exhibit to teach community members how a solar chimney functions. 
  • Creation of a guidebook for creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ community members and presentation about how to be an ally.

Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education

The Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education (CMEE) evolved in response to the increasing recognition that mindfulness and empathy play an indispensable role in humanizing our education system. The Center’s launch was supported by an E.E. Ford Foundation Educational Leadership grant, one of the most prestigious grant programs in the country for independent schools.

The Center’s Mission

“To empower Nursery to Grade 12 teachers, students, staff and parents with the requisite tools and support necessary to foster a sustained, compassionate presence through the development and nurturing of programs that demand authentic human engagement, stimulating our inborn capacity to compassionately connect to and understand others, embracing their situation as our own.”

Harley is committed to sharing its experiences with others in the educational community. 

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College Counseling

Harley’s Approach to College Counseling is highly individualized and student-centered. Students have direct access to college counselors throughout their Upper School experience, but really, each student is part of a team including faculty, administration, and staff. It’s our job to support each student and we want nothing more than to send students on to the next step of their journey at a right fit school for them. The student centered and driven process is wrapped in care, expertise, and professionalism.

We host college reps during times students are available (no need to miss a class) so they can make connections and learn more about potential schools. We also arrange campus visits for classes as field trips, host an alumni college day (where recent Upper School graduates return to share advice and answer questions), and help connect students with our international alumni network. In fact, representatives from schools all over the world actively seek opportunities to come to Harley and meet with our students!

Our college counselors are accredited and are part of national/global conversations on admission trends. They also attend and present at conferences across the country.

Beginning with our Grade 11 parent night, we offer informational sessions for parents, including one devoted just to financial aid. Our partnership with families is critical, as the college admissions world changes very quickly and having an expert to guide students and families through the process is essential.

View the downloadable College Counseling Guide

Clubs

“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.

A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).

Athletics

​Each and every year, students at The Harley School participate in HAC Athletics, and their success continues to be impressive, both as students and athletes. Our athletic program is an integral part of Harley, teaching student-athletes invaluable lessons about teamwork, time management, persistence, and competition.  Our program allows them to develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally as they represent their school on and off the field. They grow, mature, and work hard to be the best teammate they can, while creating lifelong memories with teammates who often remain friends for life. 

Helping our athletes to reach their potential are some of HAC’s best assets: our coaches. More often than not, they are drawn from the ranks of our faculty and  have a deep understanding of the personalities and abilities of the student-athletes on their teams.  

We strive to find the right balance of academics, exercise, and personal growth for everyone.  By offering a variety of sports at many different levels, all student-athletes find a sport they can be successful in. It is with great pride and pleasure that my team and I work to enrich the athletic lives of all our HAC student-athletes. Go Wolves! 

To learn more check out our athletics page.

Student Leadership

Our Upper School is filled with formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Whether following passions or learning new skills, student-driven opportunities take many shapes.

– Independent study: one trimester, full year, and multi-year projects have included automating our solar chimneys, coding handmade musical instruments, or developing a class on financial literacy for underserved high school students.

– Serving on student council

– STEM: Climate curriculum program, biomimicry program, NASA Hunch program

Clubs

“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.

A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).

Hospice

Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.

With the support of their classmates, teacher, and comfort care home communities, senior students are offered the chance to care for others who truly need their purposeful, non-judgmental attention. In the home-like setting of a comfort care home, opportunities for learning extend beyond a traditional classroom rubric and conventional methods of evaluation. In this course, students will certainly find tangible “learning outcomes” by studying the medical/physical processes associated with dying and the basic nursing assistant skills of comfort care. The ultimate goal, however, will always be rooted in true relationships and connection, which occurs only through empathy and compassion.

Learn more about the Hospice Program at Harley HERE.

Capstone/Independent Studies

This program utilizes environmentally-focused approaches to education and hands-on learning in order to foster the next generation of leaders through a lens of sustainability and problem-solving.

Food & Farm: These year-long and trimester-long classes are held outside as much as possible, allowing students to become leaders in our various growing spaces. They cover environmental justice issues as well as hands-on work such as planning and overseeing planting, harvesting, and preparation of the gardens.

Past year-long focus projects have included: Creating a native plant shade garden in the Wild Wood area, redesigning our hydroponic system, overhauling Harley’s high tunnel, and improving the irrigation system for the MicroFarm.

Culinary Arts: These classes have a two-fold purpose: to give students practical skills in cooking and the science behind different techniques in the kitchen, learning about food justice, food sourcing, labor topics, and sustainability.

Past topics have included: Examining a plant-based diet, looking at the carbon footprint of different meals and food preparation methods, proposing a low carbon footprint menu to the dining hall, links between food labeling and environmental issues of food production.

Beekeeping: This one trimester class provides hands-on training in beekeeping, how to be a beekeeper, and safety and other techniques for working with bees. Once trained students help with all aspects of Harley beekeeping such as hive inspections, honey collection and extraction, and teaching students in Lower School about our hives.

Students pick a research topic addressing honeybee health and the larger environmental picture.

Social Justice

At Harley, our students learn how to evaluate social systems in order to identify complex problems in society through a lens of social justice. They take a hands-on approach to working for a fair, equitable society by researching, exploring and evaluating different perspectives, and offering solutions—both theoretical and practical.

Our faculty integrate social justice into our broader curriculum to assist students in gaining a foundational knowledge about what makes a democracy function. By gaining skills in ideating supportive pathways they become more exposed and experienced to how communities can undergo healing and restorative actions.

 

Capstone/Independent Studies

Students may create independent studies with supervising teachers throughout their Upper School experience or, during Grade 12, they can design Capstone projects—intensive collaborations with Harley faculty and off-campus mentors—involving rigorous academic study and culminating in public presentations. They are empowered to create their own curriculum, set goals, and work on time management skills in order to accomplish their objectives.

Independent Studies run the gamut from The Psychology of Sports to Furniture Design to The Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease. Capstones, meanwhile, are as diverse as the students who pursue them: Fictional Rochester, Autobiographical Art, Biomimicry Education, Organic Fuel, and Rochester Refugees. 

Indicative of Upper School curiosity and creativity, pursuits such as these distinguish our graduates in college. Through deep dives of this sort, Harley students master more than speaking, writing, and computing: they learn to communicate, advocate, collaborate, organize, listen, and empathize. 

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