“Service is what life is all about.”
-Marian Wright Edelman

On a recent Saturday morning when many adolescents slept in, a group of Keystone Upper Schoolers students dragged themselves out of bed and headed to Respite Care of San Antonio to scrub and prepare toys for the center’s children. This organization cares for children with special needs and complex medical conditions, and Keystone is proud to work with them. Our Cobras could have been doing any number of other things on a weekend, but they chose to give their time and energy to others. They exemplified one of our core values, service, and we applaud them.

We proudly state our values: Curiosity, Creativity, Integrity, Empathy, and Service and call them the Cobra Code. We codified them a couple of years ago in an effort to make our school’s pillars-Academic Excellence, Ethical Growth, Community Involvement, and Responsible Leadership-more tangible and meaningful to children of all ages. For example, the concept of ethical growth can prove difficult to explain to a preschooler, but we can talk about empathy when our youngest students don’t want to share a ball or pile of blocks. Similarly, it’s easier to understand curiosity on a gut level rather than academic excellence. Sometimes the four pillars and the five core values can merge in a variety of activities, whether they be at school or in the community.

With those values articulated, we created posters emblazoned with those concepts and posted them all around both campuses. Music teacher Ms. Cristo even had students in her lower school classes invent a song about the Cobra Code values, and the fourth grade leadership class designed a T-shirt with the Code on the back.

Over the last few years and especially since pandemic lockdowns ended, Director of Development and Alumni Relations Adriana Villafranca has worked mightily to partner Keystone with non-profit organizations and corporations around town to provide our students with opportunities.

Our partnership with Respite Care is an example of these efforts. Last spring, Ms. Villafranca and I began meeting with the staff at Respite Care about the possibility of service work and internship possibilities for our Cobras. Respite Care is located two blocks from Keystone in the Monte Vista neighborhood, so students could walk back and forth during the school day if they have back to back free periods or a free period before or after lunch.

Our students have stepped in and are doing some inspiring work over there.

As Annabelle, Class of 2025, explains: “To be able to serve RespiteCareSA is such an incredible opportunity and experience for not only me, but for all of the other amazing people who have taken the time to come out. RCSA is one of a kind in that it serves as a shelter for kids with disabilities and other complex medical conditions, as well as providing childcare services for children with disabilities. The fact is, individuals with disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect, yet there is a lack of resources to address these problems. RCSA is one of the only organizations in the state of Texas that provides residential homes for these children; being able to volunteer and give back to this community not only provides support for the children and staff at RCSA, but also serves as a learning experience for those who volunteer. By working on the playground at RCSA a couple of weeks ago alongside the National Honor Society, the kids at RCSA now have clean toys, helmets, and slides to play on—something we may frequently take for granted. This organization gives back to a larger community, where kids can be cared for in a dignified, safe environment, regardless of the adversities that they may have faced prior.”

Annabelle, and her upper school colleagues are demonstrating at Respite Care and many other places in San Antonio why we can feel so optimistic about our youth. They are bright, caring, and passionate about making a difference and improving the lives of others. In a time rife with cynicism and skepticism, these students give us a sense of hope and optimism by their integrity, curiosity, creativity, empathy, and service. We are fortunate indeed to work with such fine young people.