Many of the schools within the district are engaged in service-learning, including Bailey Lake Elementary School.  Bailey Lake participates in an annual school-wide Service Learning Day which typically occurs at the end of each school year.  During the 2007-08 school year, the school entitled their service-learning project C.A.T.S. Day - Connecting Academics Through Service.

For the 2008 C.A.T.S. Day, nearly all of Bailey Lake's students participated in efforts to benefit the Oakland County Animal Rescue, Leader Dogs for the Blind, The Detroit Zoo, and other animal focused organizations.  The students created homemade pet supplies, conducted a pet supply drive, and raised awareness about pet adoption.

As part of the project Bailey Lake kindergarten students generated cat adoption bags and managed the cat supply drive, first-grade students made dog adoption bags and facilitated the dog supply drive, second-grade students built bird feeders and coordinated a coin drive to furnish a park bench for the community, third graders collected cat toys and conducted a recycled blanket drive, fourth graders baked dog bones and held a bottle slip drive, and the fifth-grade students developed ads for their pet bandanas and operated a fund drive for a community organization.

All of the students' efforts were aligned with their yearly curriculum in at least one of several subject areas including social studies, math, science, or literacy.  And, their service helped meet significant community needs by aiding local animals and organizations.  Of course, the students' enthusiasm motivated citizens and parents to become actively involved in the school's service-learning projects by helping to coordinate activities and provide supplies.

Bailey Lake Elementary School hopes to capitalize on the success of the 2008 C.A.T.S. Day by conducting the project again in the spring of 2009.  The 2008-09 school year will mark the end of Clarkston Community Schools Learn and Serve - Michigan grant.  Kathy Noble, a service-learning coordinator at Bailey Lake, says regardless of funding, the school will continue to focus on service in the future.

"We're going to find other ways to secure grant funding," she says.  "And we're also going to continue to identify fun and creative ways to ensure our Service Learning Day occurs each year."