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VUHS Launches Community Service Learning Project

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Tuesday October 23, 2007

   Want to create a unique and one of a kind recipe? Try this. Take Three hundred students in grades 9, 10, and 12. Add them together with adult supervisors, five busses, two colleges and twenty-five different sites and add a measure of good weather. Now fold in community service projects of all shapes and sizes. Stir together for nine hours and stand back to see what you have created. The results will be astonishing.

    October 9-11th saw the premier of a new pilot program in community based service at VUHS. During the testing days for NEASC, where the eleventh graders were diligently involved in testing, the faculty leadership group devised a plan to contact and send VUHS freshman, sophomores and seniors out into Addison, Panton, Waltham, Vergennes and Ferrisburgh to complete community service work. After contacting town leaders, select boards, local civic organizations and church leaders, the group assembled a list of locations, projects and desired outcomes for each morning meeting group at VUHS. The plan was simple but at the same time complex in organization. Each morning groups would leave the school and travel to selected worksites, walking or being bused. Once there they would rake, paint, clean, clear, polish, plant, or complete whatever task they were assigned. They would then return to school by lunchtime.

    What sounds relatively simple snowballed into a powerful linking of students, community, sites and learning. The students responded with an enthusiasm and work ethic that was welcomed and appreciated by all the sites they visited. Over the three days, students worked on projects as diverse as cleaning and clearing the outdoor classroom, blazing trails along the river and the Macintosh settlement site, painting at town halls in Panton and Waltham, and responding to identified needs in schools and businesses around the five towns. Each town benefited from the efforts of the students and each student benefited from being involved in making their community a better place to live. In exit surveys, students were very excited about the project and look forward with anticipation todoing it again. Comments included: “I washed windows and helped rake brush. I think it improved the grounds and I saw how much people appreciated it.”  “ I saw people who normally don't work together accomplish projects and care about their community.” “We picked up small trees and branches and brought them to a wood chipper. We stacked fire wood. It was hard work, but as a team we moved it along quickly.” “We worked on inventory of medical equipment and helped refinish the flag poles used in town. It was a good feeling to give back to the community.” “We went to the waste treatment plant and painted. It was interesting to learn about the site and what happens there.”

    Another facet to the program was sending all the freshman and sophomores for one morning to visit Champlain College or Castleton State College. While on tour, the students met with academic advisors and discussed possible careers that are available to them in these Vermont colleges. Both colleges provided wonderful tours for the students and spent two hours each day with a group.

    Feedback from the community, parents, students and teachers has encouraged VUHS to make this an annual event and discussion is underway about a follow up day of community service in May. Organizations, businesses and groups with projects in Addison, Panton, Vergennes, Ferrisburgh and Waltham are encouraged to contact Lee Shorey or Cookie Step at (802) 877-2938 with requests for student help this coming May.

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