WOW! Moments from the 2024–2025 School Year
“We learn by doing, but only if we reflect on what we are doing.”
At Citizen Schools, this philosophy is at the heart of everything we do. Our students don’t just participate—they reflect, create, and ultimately teach back what they’ve learned. And in doing so, they transform their experiences into meaningful growth. One of the most powerful examples of this is the WOW! student showcase, a signature element of every Citizen Schools experience where students present their final projects to an audience of peers, educators, families, and community members.
WOW! is more than a culminating event. It’s a celebration of learning and transformation—when students step into roles like website designers, lawyers, financial advisors, engineers, and beyond, applying their academic knowledge to real-world challenges. It’s in this moment of reflection and presentation that students develop essential skills in communication, critical thinking, and confidence. By teaching others, they deepen their understanding and find pride in their accomplishments. As one of our guiding ideas, WOW! helps turn experience into lasting impact.
Over the last 30 years, we’ve seen thousands of these moments, and time and again, there’s no better word to describe them than “WOW.” It’s the reaction of parents seeing their child speak publicly for the first time. It’s the awe of a volunteer watching a student problem-solve like a pro. It’s the feeling when a quiet learner steps into the spotlight and commands the room. Whether you're a student, teacher, volunteer, staff member, board member, or community partner, witnessing students rise to the occasion is always a moment of wonder.
In the spring of 2020, students shared videos of their projects for a virtual WOW!
WOW! in the Darkest of Times: A Lesson in Resilience
As we celebrate this milestone year, we also look back on one of the most profound learning experiences in our organizational history—the spring of 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools and disrupted routines across the country, one thing remained clear: our students still deserved their moment to shine. They still deserved their WOW!
While the world was grappling with uncertainty, Citizen Schools pivoted quickly and purposefully. We worked hand-in-hand with educators, families, and volunteers to reimagine what a WOW! could look like in a fully virtual world. We moved final showcases online, adapted our curriculum for remote engagement, and ensured that students still had the opportunity to teach back what they had learned—even if it meant presenting from their bedrooms or kitchen tables.
It wasn’t easy. But it was powerful.
That moment taught us that WOW! isn’t tied to a place—it’s tied to a purpose. We learned that we could be nimble, that our mission could endure beyond the classroom walls, and that when we lean into our values, we can continue to serve and uplift students even in the most challenging times. The resilience, creativity, and joy we saw from students during our virtual WOW!s remain a defining chapter in our story.
👉 Revisit two of our incredible virtual WOW!s and experience the magic for yourself:
These moments didn’t just reflect what students had learned—they reflected what we learned as an organization: to stay mission-driven, to embrace change, and to always center our work on student growth and celebration.
Celebrating Our 2024–2025 WOW! Moments
This year, we’ve experienced so many moments that not only made us feel something—but made us say WOW! These were moments of joy, transformation, community, and deep pride. They reminded us of the power of showing up, working together, and giving students the chance to shine.
As we reflect on the school year, we’re celebrating:
🎤 Student Showcase at Shore Collaborative – This year we launched a partnership with Shore Educational Collaborative, which provides public special education services to students from preschool to age 22 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Fifteen educators designed and delivered EBL projects alongside their students and hosted two student showcases this spring.
📣 Presenting at the MSA Conference – Citizen Schools was invited to lead a workshop at the 2024 Massachusetts Service Alliance Conference on Volunteerism in Worcester, MA. This year’s theme was Redefining Leadership with Authenticity; this prompted attendees to reflect on the ways they can improve their organizations’ volunteer diversity, while cultivating an authentic and inclusive culture for their stakeholders and communities.
🏫 Hosting In-Person Community Workshops – We proudly hosted interactive community workshops in Cambridge, MA and New York City designed to help school leaders build meaningful partnerships with businesses and nonprofits. These gatherings—under the theme Strengthening Community Connections—brought together educators and community partners to explore how collaboration can unlock student potential and bring learning to life in new and sustainable ways.
💡 Celebrating Our 30th Anniversary – This year, we proudly celebrated Citizen Schools' 30th birthday—three decades of partnerships, purpose, and powerful student transformation. Our anniversary campaign spotlights stories from across the years, honoring the community of educators, volunteers, alumni, and supporters who’ve helped shape what “learning together” truly means.
🤝 Alumni & Board Reunion and In-Person Meet-Up – This year marked a milestone as we hosted our first-ever official alumni reunions, gathering former service and staff members in person in Boston and virtually from across the country. It was a powerful reminder of the long-lasting impact of Citizen Schools—seeing alumni now thriving in their careers and communities, reflecting on how their WOW! moments helped shape their paths.
🌐 Highlights from Learning Network Events & Presentations – Through our eight virtual Learning Network events this year, educators and Experience-Based Learning (EBL) practitioners from across the country shared ideas, insights, and innovations. From career readiness to culturally responsive teaching, these events fostered a national conversation on transforming education—one that continues to energize and expand our work.
Each of these moments touched our hearts and strengthened our belief in what’s possible when we learn together.
This year’s theme, Learning Together, reminds us that WOW! isn’t just a student experience—it’s a community experience. We’ve learned important lessons from each other, grown together, and celebrated every breakthrough, big or small. WOW! showcase events are a vivid reminder that learning is most powerful when it’s shared, reflected upon, and honored.
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we invite you to reflect with us. Think back to the WOW! that made you pause, smile, or tear up with pride. Think of the student who taught you something new. And as we look forward to the future, let’s keep building more WOW! moments—for our students, for our schools, and for our communities.
Because when young people are given the opportunity to lead, reflect, and teach, there’s only one thing to say: WOW!