addition to providing grants, Learn and Serve America serves as a resource on service and service-learning to teachers, faculty members, schools, and community groups.
Four school districts received funding through the State’s Learn and Serve America program. Sitka, Cordova, Juneau and Kuspuk school districts all received $7,500 to help with service learning programs.
Sitka School District’s program focus is peer mentoring. Their Peer Helpers program is in the Sitka High School, working with students to become leaders in the school. They also have a high school tutoring program, where high school students serve as tutors and mentors in the elementary schools. To learn more visit, http://www.ssd.k12.ak.us/CommSchool/LearnServe/
LearnAndServe.html#programs
Cordova School District has four branches under this program. Using the skills learned from the home economics teacher, twelve students will make lap quilts for injured soldiers. This is a national project and is called “Home of the Brave. Also, the science teacher will be working with three students and the Cordova Electric Cooperative on renewable energy. These students will attend a conference at Alyeska with the executive director of Cordova Electric. The students armed with their new knowledge will assist in windmill placement and other alternative and renewable forms of energy during this next year. Some of this will involve educating the community on these various forms of power. More students, in conjunction with their community partner, Cordova Family Resource Center, will continue to train students in peer counseling. The second year peer counseling students will be asked to give personal time to working on the Helpline. An adult mentor is on duty with the student. Finally, another Learn and Serve project will work with the Student Council. Students will determine the project and what it will entail.
CHOICE (Choosing Healthy Option In Cooperative Education) Program is at Juneau-Douglas High School. The 100 students in the CHOICE Program will be the youth population delivering services. CHOICE has been in operation as a school-within-a-school serving at-risk students for the past nine years. Its teaching methods and organization are based on the philosophy of experiential learning, working toward high standards for emotional and social intelligence, and “real life” school to work opportunities.
Kuspuk School District is unique in our Learn and Serve program in that it serves multiple rural villages in the area. The program is open to high school age students with roughly 15 students participating. Selection of participants will be based on personal/social skills, past academic performance, and teacher recommendations. The class will meet 5 days a week for one hour, over the VTC (video teleconference). The students focus on their community/ village needs, and create projects to help with those needs. Last year saw many successes with Kuspuk’s Service Learning Program. One of these successes was that every student who participated in Service Learning Program passed the reading and writing portion of the HSGQE! They also saw students becoming more involved with their community, and in turn the community becoming more involved with the school. |
