The mission of Charlotte Latin School is to “encourage individual development and civility in our students by inspiring them to learn, by encouraging them to serve others, and by offering them many growth-promoting opportunities.”

The Charlotte Latin Community Service Program provides numerous opportunities to meet these objectives. Participation in our service program allows students to develop an appreciation and understanding of service to others. Through exposure to and interaction with people with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and socio-cultural traditions, students have firsthand opportunities to learn, to explore, and to find shared human concerns. These experiences help students discover abilities within themselves and others, while more fully realizing the joy of reaching out to other persons. It is the belief of the School that the habit of service to others is fundamental, and that habits are instilled by participation and action. The Community Service Program provides opportunities for our students to develop leadership skills so that they can more effectively serve the community at large.

Age-appropriate service opportunities are available to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. In the Upper School, the Charlotte Latin Community Service Program is managed by students, including the operation of an inner-city, after-school program in conjunction with Seigle Avenue Partners.

The Charlotte Latin Service Society

In 1997, The Charlotte Latin Service Society was created to encourage Upper School students to participate in the Community Service Program and to recognize those students who have made significant contributions in the area of community service. To be inducted into the Service Society, a four-year student must perform 150 hours of service. Students who transfer into our school will have their hour requirements prorated. The level of student involvement in the Community Service Program since the Service Society’s formation has been gratifying. For example, the members of the Class of 2007 performed more than 10,000 combined hours of documented service. Through service, students discover unknown talents and abilities, form new interests, and find challenging opportunities for leadership.

Habitat for Humanity

In 2006, the Charlotte Latin community joined together to fund and build the fourth Latin-sponsored Habitat for Humanity house in Charlotte. Students worked side-by-side with their teachers, parents, and Latin alumni. Members of the Latin community also routinely volunteer to work on Habitat houses. In 2007, the School community funded a Habitat house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a family who lost their home to Hurricane Katrina. This tradition of support for Habitat for Humanity is a reflection of the School’s active commitment to community service.