The Cebu International School (CIS) once again held their annual special event called the Tree of Giving for the children in Inayawan and Mandaue dumpsites.
The CIS students packed useful articles into gift boxes for the more than 100 children from the dumpsites.
They also hosted games and activities and organized lunch for the children and their families.
The guiding statements of CIS hold universal moral values at the heart of everything the school believes in, in terms of educating the whole child.
CIS believes that being morally good and making ethical and decent decisions is a universal value.
As a secular school that respects every family’s personal beliefs, the teachers, curriculum and attention to regular service work engenders a deeply-rooted sense of responsibility for the well-being of others aside from its students.
Compassionate thinking is a part of everyday learning at CIS.
Each year, CIS sustains and develops relationships with people and organizations that help those who need support.
CIS students work with Gawad Kalinga, Yellow Boat of Hope, Operation Smile, to name a few, and the municipalities of San Remigio and Liloan in northern Cebu.
Students also design their own programs to support and help local children living in dumpsites, and in local schools who do not have the same opportunities in life they have.
Through direct instruction and student-designed service work, CIS teachers help students understand their role in making the world a better place to live.
While students recognize the positive benefits of charity, it is through sustained service work that the students truly understand the value and benefit in giving of oneself for the betterment of others.
Being “a good Christian” is more than going to church and observing church doctrine; being a good Christian means following in the ways of Jesus Christ through actions, deeds, and thoughts of love and kindness. And there are universal moral values that reach across nationality, culture, ethnicity and religion.
While this is highlighted in the Christmas season, it is something that should be practiced each and every day, and instilled in children so that the future leaders of the world make decisions with compassion and kind-heartedness.
It is through this continued effort and awareness that students develop the skills to truly effect change in their world.
CIS understands that educating a child does not stop with their minds; CIS believes in developing the whole child and in guiding students to develop and practice universal moral values and ethical decision-making each and every day.