November EC article
Service-Learning Practices from 2011 PPs
With the long holiday season quickly approaching, service-learning is often a rewarding way to encourage students to think about others before thinking of themselves. Interested in creating a service-learning project for your students, but short on planning time? Check out these tried-and-true service-learning ideas from our 2011 Promising Practices winners. You very well may find some fresh ideas that will work for you and your school!
As part of a school-wide service learning initiative, students, teachers, and parents from Greenwood Elementary School in River Falls, Wisconsin, organized, promoted, and ran a free garage sale for community members in need called The Great Greenwood Giveaway. Read more about their service activity here.
In their practice C.A.R.E. (Care and Respect Everyone), students at North Pike Elementary School in Summit, Mississippi, participate in a Caring Blitz during November and December that blankets the community with acts of kindness. Read more about their program here.
In their practice Service Learning Project for the Needy at Upper Merion Area Middle School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, middle school students in grades 5-8 work together to create gift bags to donate to the needy at a local soup kitchen. Get more details about their program here.
At Belleville East High School in Belleville, Illinois, the DECA Needy Family Food Drive encompasses the entire campus through the collection of canned goods, which are assembled into Thanksgiving baskets and delivered to economic struggling families in the area. Read more about how the program works here.
The students in the Career Exploration class at Clifton-Clyde High School in Clyde, Kansas, researched, organized, and implemented an Angel Tree in the school for students and community members to have the opportunity to provide gifts to children who might otherwise not receive them. Read more about how they managed this program here.
Finally, San Leandro High School in San Leandro, California, created a program called Season of Service, Period of Peace that stretches from January to March and engages students in non-violence related/peace-oriented service projects. Read more about this longer-term service program at San Leandro here.
Have you created other great service-learning projects for your students to participate in during the holiday season? Share them with us on our Facebook page! We look forward to hearing more about them!