At The Phoenix School in Salem, the EarlyAct Club is a hallmark of student-driven community engagement. It was established in collaboration with the Salem Rotary Club and is known as one of the first clubs of its kind in New England. Unlike typical service clubs, EarlyAct at Phoenix is entirely student-run: students evaluate, plan, organize, and carry out projects under the guidance of their peers and teachers. Throughout the year, they serve both the school community—by acting as reading partners or offering peer support—and the broader region, such as collecting donations for the Northeast Animal Shelter, the Crombie Street Shelter for the Homeless, and other local causes.

The club is also a key part of Phoenix’s culture of service-learning and philanthropic reflection. Students regularly raise funds through curriculum-integrated activities like read-a-thons or bake sales, directing all proceeds into their “Young Philanthropists’ Fund.” Each year, the whole school researches potential beneficiaries and collectively decides where the funds should go, fostering thoughtful deliberation and shared decision-making. In partnership with the Salem Rotary Club, EarlyAct members also lead a monthly “Change for Changing Lives” initiative, gathering spare change to support the North Shore Moving Market, and present their projects and philanthropic choices to Rotary members.