Celebrating and Service Learning.

Celebrating and Service Learning. This month's Techniques magazine celebrates service-learningand the contributions that it makes to students' learning byfostering civic engagement while students learn in a hands-on real-worldcontext. For close to half a century, service-learning has spreadthroughout schools in the United States as students engage in activitiesas diverse as the schools the students attend. From road safety tohelping feed those in need to organizing a blood drive, students haveembraced the opportunities to be agents of change in their communities,while at the same time learning invaluable lessons that are linked tothe curriculum. Centennial High in Franklin What are your students passionate about? The answer is whateverthey care deeply about. At Centennial High in Franklin, Tennessee,students are passionate about safety. The busy street in front ofCentennial was the site of a serious student injury on the first day ofschool this year. And so when MBA Research High School of Businessteacher Robbie Reed told students in her "Leadership" coursethat they would complete a service-learning project that semester tomeet a community need, the students immediately chose to make the schoolcrossing safer. They backed up their passion with research that revealed a historyof accidents at the site. From this, they set a goal to convince themayor and city officials to install a traffic light and rework crossingzones. The semester involved research into traffic patterns, datacrunching, a partnership with students in the "Marketing Researchand Analysis" course, and preparation to deliver a professionalpresentation. The result? The mayor called it one of the bestfact-grounded presentations he's seen; he sent the traffic engineerto work with the school to turn the students' recommendations intoreality. "Leadership" is the first course in MBAResearch andCurriculum Center's High School of Business program. The curriculumguides students through the steps of a service-learning project as theylearn valuable leadership skills. But it's the connection to therecipients that can have life-altering impact on students. AtRenaissance High in Detroit, Michigan, a class decided to serve itscommunity through collecting and distributing toiletries to a batteredwomen's shelter. While the students were proud of the amount ofsoap, toothbrushes and shampoo they donated, it was their visit with therecipients that resonated. Following the visit, their teacher, Lanell Lasenby, shared theemotional day. "I have a 'cutter' in my class," saidLasenby, "you know, someone who cuts herself with sharp objects. Atthe shelter, the cutter and the rest of the class got to talk to some ofthe women who were staying there. They heard about some really terribleexperiences. More importantly, they heard these women talk about howthey got themselves out of bad places (and away from bad people). Theyheard about the women's plans and determination to make a betterlife for themselves and their children. Afterward, the students talked alot about the people they had met. And, the cutter realized that herlife wasn't so bad and that she could overcome some of her issuestoo. It was a very powerful experience." Eunice Career and Technical Education Center The culinary arts class at the Eunice Career and TechnicalEducation Center, located in Eunice, Louisiana, recently participated ina service-learning project. The class, under the direction of theirinstructor Martha Guempel, organized a school blood drive on January 13.All the students and staff at the school attended a presentation byUnited Blood Services, where they learned of the need for blood in thecommunity and the qualifications to donate. Fifty-five participantsregistered to donate, many of them 16 years old and first-time donors.Skyla LeJeune, a 16-year-old junior, said, "I just wanted to helpsave lives." The culinary students who were not eligible to donate provided aservice too; they prepared and served lunch to all the blood donors plusthe United Blood Services staff. Students were rewarded for theirparticipation with a free Mardi Gras t-shirt, lunch and the opportunityto wear blue jeans to school in place of their school uniform. All ofthe students agreed the biggest reward was the fact that they helpedsave lives. By providing the students with a safe and fun experience,they could become lifetime donors. Dare County Alternative School Students at Dare County Alternative School in Manteo, NorthCarolina, face many challenges. Since these students are at risk ofcontinuing their education, the school works to provide an environmentthat encourages them "to take responsibility for their own learningand behavior so they may develop the skills and habits needed to besuccessful in school and life." Part of that responsibility is theteaching of civic engagement through service-learning ventures;therefore all students in grades eight through 12 participate inservice-learning, according to business and marketing instructor JuliaRay. Ray's students rotate going to Food For Thought each Thursdaymorning. They work with elderly members of the community in a productionline system to prepare more than 400 bags of food for elementary andmiddle school children who do not get enough to eat on the weekends.Students work in the line packing the bags and some work loading thetrailer to deliver the bags to the schools. It gives the studentsexperience in giving back without expecting anything in return, Raysays, and some of them even know many of the children who receive thebags--including their younger brothers and sisters. Ray said they are inthe second year of this project and last year saw 100 percentparticipation in community or service-learning activities. Ray notes the service-learning is tied to the curriculum. Forexample, the marketing class discusses ways of advertising the serviceto those in need while students in Ray's computer applicationsclass help her maintain the Web site. Ray notes that students lookforward to participating and they work to get their class work done sothat they are free to do so. Working with an older generation has alsohelped to bridge the intergenerational gap that exists between young andold. "They have changed from being uncertain about the older adultsto actively participating in discussions with them," she said. N. Susan Emeagwali is managing editor of Techniques magazine. Shecan be contacted at semeagwali@acteonline.org. Lisa Berkey is program director, High School of Business,MBAResearch and Curriculum Center. She can be confacted atBerkeyL@MBAResearch.org. Martha Guempel is culinary instructor at Eunice Career andTechnical Education Center in Eunice, Louisiana. She can be contacted atmlg6887@slp.k12.la.us.