Community Programs

Community outreach is a strong component to the daily educational life on the Meramec campus. Students have ample opportunity to enhance their learning experiences through a variety of outreach programs and events through campus organizations, clubs and programs. 

Service Learning and Civic Engagement programs allow students to do community service connected to Meramec academic courses. Students assist with local community needs and acquire learning skills along the way. They develop a sense of civic responsibility. For example, Jody Martin DeCamilo, Ph.D., assistant professor in biological science, coordinates the Simpson Lake Cleanup Project in which her biology students adopt Simpson Lake in Valley Park for a one-day cleanup and take water samples. The students then teach South County Tech High School students how to do water testing. STLCC students help South County Tech students look at data they collected on water testing. Finally, the STLCC students and South County Tech students teach the fifth graders at Robinson Elementary School about water quality and testing. 

The Meramec Alumni Association holds several fund raisers each year in order to provide scholarships for approximately 20 current students. For information on scholarship applications and deadlines, visit the Meramec Alumni web pages In addition to its fund-raising activities, the Alumni Association also holds an annual Senior Prom  for citizens 55 years or older. This event encourages the strong relationship the college has with its senior population and allows student volunteers and alumni members to honor and thank this important segment of our community, as well as celebrate their vitality and enthusiasm for life. 

The Horticulture program uses the 72-acre campus as a "working lab." Students in the program contribute greatly to Meramec’s curb appeal, helping maintain a large garden on the southwest corner of the campus. Students’ efforts have helped the City of Kirkwood gain a reputation for local beauty and community pride. Recently, Kirkwood was awarded the 2007 America in Bloom "American Horticultural Society Community Involvement Award."