In Grade 1 at Stone Ridge, leadership doesn’t begin with titles or speeches. It begins with curiosity, connection, and the simple yet powerful act of seeing someone who looks like you doing meaningful work in the world.

Each fall, the Grade 1 Community Helper Project invites students to explore what it means to belong to—and care for—a community. Rooted in a focus on communities and guided by the Lower School’s social studies curriculum, the Project Approach, moves learning beyond books and into real life. This year alone, more than a dozen community helpers—from firefighters and police officers to doctors, school safety officers, and pool safety experts—shared their work with the girls through visits and field experiences.

“For first graders, meeting real people makes everything click,” explains Grade 1 teacher Kate Bigler, who has taught at Stone Ridge for more than 20 years. “They connect what we’re learning in the classroom to the world around them. These aren’t abstract ideas anymore—these are people they know.”

“They’re learning that leaders help solve problems and they care about their community—not just give orders. They see perseverance. They see responsibility. All attributes that we want the girls to see and model themselves.”

- Ms. Kate Bigler, Grade 1 Teacher

That personal connection is intentional. Many of the project’s guest experts are women, offering students early and meaningful exposure to female leadership across professions. From pediatric specialists and neurologists to one of Montgomery County’s few women canine officers, the girls encounter role models who challenge stereotypes and expand their sense of possibility.

“Students are learning that leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and have different strengths,” shares Ms. Bigler. “And by design, a lot of these community guest experts are women, which helps break the stereotype of who can be a leader. They can see themselves in these roles.”

The project also reflects Stone Ridge’s commitment to the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, particularly Goal III: a social awareness which impels to action and Goal IV: the building of community. As students learn how community helpers work together to keep others safe, they begin to understand leadership as service, grounded in teamwork, empathy, and responsibility.

“That idea of teamwork came up again and again,” Ms. Bigler notes. “Every helper talked about working with others toward a common goal. The girls see that leaders don’t act alone—they collaborate, they care, and they show up for others.”

These lessons are also reinforced through the Lower School’s Responsive Classroom approach, which emphasizes the establishment of shared community norms around belonging, respect, and responsibility. Asking thoughtful questions of guest speakers, sharing reflections, and making connections to their own lives all help students build confidence and agency—essential foundations for leadership.

“They’re learning that leaders help solve problems and they care about their community—not just give orders,” Ms. Bigler explains. “They see perseverance. They see responsibility. All attributes that we want the girls to see and model themselves.”

Ultimately, the project’s power lies in its authenticity. “It’s not just from research or a book,” Ms. Bigler says. “It goes from secondhand to firsthand. When they meet real people like firefighters, doctors, and police officers, they connect their classroom lessons to real life. These community helpers now have a face. They become someone the girls know and trust—and often want to imitate.”

Sometimes, the impact is immediate. After one doctor’s visit, a student proudly announced she was now inspired to become a physician herself. It was a small moment, but one that captured the heart of the project.

Students also benefit from seeing adults they know—especially parents—through a new lens. “They might know mom or dad at home,” Ms. Bigler says, “but then to see them at school and think, oh my gosh, they have this really important job that helps our community stay safe—that’s really powerful.”

Through these experiences, Grade 1 students begin to understand that leadership doesn’t require age, status, or recognition. “You don’t have to be a grown-up or famous to help other people,” Ms. Bigler reflects. “You can do it in small, age-appropriate ways that are still super important.” 

The Community Helper Project helps Grade 1 students understand that leadership starts now—in kindness, curiosity, and care for others. In seeing role models up close, they begin to imagine the leaders they, too, are becoming. ❤