SERVICE AT ECS

FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL SCOTT HAUSS

February 11, 2026 was ECS' second annual school-wide SOAR day of service, a day dedicated to serving our neighbors in Memphis. SOAR, which stands for Serving Others, Advancing Responsibility, began last year as an effort to offer another opportunity for students and faculty to put service into action – an important pillar of our school mission.

A total of 336 high school students, working alongside 44 discipleship group leaders, volunteered at 15 ministries across our city. Students and teachers served in a variety of hands-on ways, from cooking, cleaning and organizing closets to painting walls and assembling Valentine's goodie bags for youth outreach. It was a powerful picture of our students actively loving and serving others.

Our 152 7th and 8th grade students learned about the Refugee Empowerment Program from alumnus Isaac James '14, a representative from this ministry. Then students assembled Valentine bags and wrote notes of encouragement for teens who are a part of R.E.P., then they served around campus.  

Upper Elementary students welcomed ministry representatives from Room in the Inn, My Town Miracles and the Forrest Spence Fund, then wrote notes of encouragement and assembled bags with essential items to donate to the ministries. 

In Lower School, students donated toiletry items to Moriah House and a representative from that ministry shared how those items will help those they serve. Then students helped assemble blessing bags for donation to Moriah House and Union Mission.  

Students and faculty members agreed that it was a meaningful day.

One sophomore student serving at Perea Schools said, “I really enjoyed getting to be in the kids’ classrooms and seeing how full of joy they are.”

Another student reflected that the most meaningful part of her day was “cleaning and helping out with my friends while enjoying laughs along the way.”

A freshman student who served at Service Over Self said that hearing an employee’s story about his life and how he came to work in ministry was most impactful.

A faculty member noted, “We are connecting with diverse experiences and exposing our students to ministries with which they most likely would not be naturally engaged.”

Check out our photo album from the day below

Many thanks to our friends at My Town Miracles who worked alongside our spiritual life committee to help us plan our SOAR day of service!

What an impactful day for our students and staff as they experienced firsthand how they can serve as Jesus' hands and feet by loving our neighbors in Memphis!

Special thanks to the following ministries whom we served alongside yesterday:  

  1. AngelStreet Memphis 
  2. Binghampton Development Corporation
  3. Ches' Closet 
  4. For the Kingdom
  5. Forrest Spence Fund at LeBonheur Children's Hospital 
  6. Hanley Academy
  7. Neighborhood Christian Center
  8. Oasis of Hope 
  9. Perea Schools
  10. Refugee Empowerment Program 
  11. Send Relief 
  12. Service Over Self 
  13. Streets Ministries
  14. UniverCity CDC
  15. Winchester Elementary School

IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE AN EAGLE!

SOAR 2026