Experiences

Mixed-Age interaction

One of the benefits of having a large preschool in the same building as our K-8 program is the interaction between older and younger students. We believe that student character and maturity is built when students of different ages interact. Older students develop kindness and patience as they adjust their play to include younger children; they grow in responsibility as they look out for younger kids. They learn that life is bigger than themselves and their immediate peers.

We are intentional about providing opportunities for mixed-age interaction. Monthly activities happen between a K-8 classroom and an adopted preschool classroom. These adopted classrooms participate in twice-yearly service-learning projects. Once a year the whole school goes on a field trip, and the older kids again are looking out for the little ones. The intentional mixing of ages creates a beautiful community culture.

Service Learning

Hampden Christian School is passionate about growing students who love God and grow into people of character who want to serve their neighbors and build their communities. Becoming a person who loves to serve happens through being around people who serve and through practicing serving. HCS is an environment of loving service, where teachers take out the trash for each other, cover breaks, deliver coffee, and otherwise look out for each other. This is an environment where your student can learn to serve by learning from adults who serve.

Students get their own practice serving with regular service-learning projects. These projects have included planting, weeding, mulching, passing out community newsletters, writing thank-yous to community helpers like the garbage collectors, visiting the fire station with goodies, passing out cookies to the neighboring high school students, picking up trash in Roosevelt Park, harvesting produce at First Fruit Farms, packaging diapers at Share Baby, taking food to the local food pantry, and packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Field trips

Field trips add so much to a student’s school experience. Thinking back to our own experiences in school, field trips likely stand out as our most memorable times. There is where we made connections, socialized with friends, were creative in making the most of long bus rides, and in general had a good time learning outside of the school walls.

On field trips, students can make connections between what they are learning at school and the “real world.” They see more clearly that what they learn in the classroom can have a direct impact on real-world situations—their learning matters. They can access tools and environments that are not available at school. Baltimore and surrounding areas provide a rich learning laboratory. Many historical, scientific, cultural, and natural delights are within easy reach of our school, and we are happy to soak them in with our students.

At Hampden Christian School takes at least four major field trips per year in K-8. One field trip is done with whole school and rotates between Port Discover, the Maryland Zoo, and Lake Roland. Another field trip is dedicated to nature, another is dedicated to the arts, and the fourth is open for other possibilities.