Lewis Leadership Program students with National Museum and Center for Service board members Linda Mathes and May Yoneyama O'Brien
Students designed five 6-foot retractable panels. This one is about how acts of service create connections.
Contributed by a Key Middle School student
The inaugural 10 honorees were unveiled at the November 6th, 2025 Lewis Leadership Program Exhibition of Learning
The museum traveled to Key Middle School in January 2026. It included objects like this memory game Lewis students used with Lynbrook Elementary mentees.
Key Middle School students look at an exhibit about the students who manage an intramural soccer program at Lewis.
Students designed five 6-foot retractable panels. This one is about how service creates change in people, communities, and the world.
Greenspring Senior Living Community residents had two-way interviews with Lewis students about personal experiences with service.
Detail from a banner about service created by Greenspring Senior Living Community residents and Lewis students.
Museum designer Patrick Rogan led Lewis students in a brainstorming session. They created the vision for the Lewis Leadership Program Museum of Service.
Ideas for the Museum of Service generated by Lewis students with support from museum designer Patrick Rogan.
Contributed to the museum by students and families at Key Middle School's curriculum night.
Chloe, student Digital Content Manager for the Museum of Service, showcases her nonprofit Fever without Fear at the Lewis Leadership Program Museum of Service. Click the photo to learn more about Chloe's nonprofit.
Contributed to the museum by Key Center School and Key Middle School students.
As the museum travels, student leaders seek community input on the stories to be showcased.
Students and Lewis English teachers had two-way interviews about personal experiences with service and then created a banner for the museum.
The Springfield Civic Association hosted the Museum of Service at their November 2025 meeting.
On November 6th, 2025, Lewis Leadership Program students at John Lewis High School in Springfield, Virginia unveiled their plans to build a community museum that celebrates service in all its forms. Their vision for the museum’s design includes a website and ten six-foot retractable panels (five in Spanish and five in English) that share local stories of service connected to key themes: connection, growth, culture, change, and joy. The museum began traveling in January 2026 to sites in the community, beginning at Key Middle School. As the museum travels, it grows: visitors of all ages contribute art, writing, objects, and nominations for honorees. Students are also creating a community engagement toolkit for local schools, businesses, and organizations planning to host the traveling museum.
“This student-led museum is a reminder of what happens when young people believe in themselves and stay positive. The museum proves that when students come together, support each other, and stay motivated, we can make something real and meaningful. We encouraged one another, shared ideas, and kept going. The museum shows how much we’ve grown, not just as students but as leaders who can turn an idea into something that everyone can see.” - Trania, 12th Grade
Honoring Our Community’s Stories
Our museum will honor the people and groups who give of themselves to make our community a better place. We especially want to highlight those who do not receive public recognition.
We hope that schools, libraries, universities, businesses, and other groups will contribute to our museum and host it as it travels in 2026 and beyond.
We hope our Museum of Service makes people feel inspired, curious, heard, understood, empowered, and committed to serve.
We want to create a museum that is interactive, immersive, and relevant.