Elementary-school improvement projects tend to foster the pride of the children engaged in such projects. They also develop a sense for civics as they put civics principles into practice by working on such projects. Outside volunteers may participate in such projects to satisfy a need for civic engagement. Schools save money by not hiring paid workers to complete these projects, and they can use these projects as learning opportunities for students.
Thornton Creek Elementary School, a part of the Northville, Mich., school system, prides itself on developing the global-citizenship orientation of its students. This includes instilling a civic pride. Students at the school participate in one school improvement project each year. School-improvement projects have included projects to improve the school grounds and outdoor classrooms by engaging in activities such as mulching, weeding and landscape design.
Several schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District decided to celebrate the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by engaging in a number of school-improvement projects. The projects aimed to foster the message of service that King stood for. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa participated in such activities, according to a report from Southern California Public Radio. A school garden that was newly constructed at Micheltorena Elementary School engaged volunteers in various garden-related projects.
As part of the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. initiative, more than a 1,000 volunteers undertook a number of school-improvement projects at Rosemont Elementary School in Echo Park. These volunteers, who represented the L.A. Works volunteer center, helped paint murals at the school. Volunteers also created a reading corner in the school library, and a game room. They also helped make the school garden more beautiful and made planter benches for a literacy garden at the school.