We give back. And we learn from it.

The Bement School is a community partner dedicated to making meaningful contributions to society—both in our backyard and around the globe. Part of our students’ education is understanding their individual role in maintaining a sustainable and peaceful planet, and then putting those ideas into practice.

Through our ongoing partnership with Historic Deerfield and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA), we are in constant and meaningful collaboration with the wider community. Pine Hill, our outdoor education center, is a new gathering place for community members. Our Bridge Grant provides full funding for students who can’t otherwise afford Bement. And every Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our students attend school for special programs that honor Dr. King’s fight for equality and human rights. In 2016, we used this day to collaborate with local agencies to raise awareness and materials for refugees in the Pioneer Valley.

We have an ongoing commitment to community service, including our annual Supper for Six food collection drive with the United Way of Franklin County. Students have toured the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and they have collected and delivered new and gently used books to the Reader-to-Reader program. Our ninth graders embark on an annual service-learning trip to volunteer with underserved communities, including an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, a senior center on Cape Cod, and, forthcoming, a school serving immigrant communities in Tucson, Arizona. On the international level, our students have raised funds for people in need after the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti and flooding in Cambodia.