Grade Level: 9-12
Academic Areas: Science, Technology
Duration of service: 1-2 months
Service Areas: Environmental, Human Services
Service Learning Project:
The Lyndonville Central School District’s mission is to
work with the community as partners to provide our students with
the values, attitudes, knowledge, skills, and encouragement necessary
to enable them to successfully meet life’s challenges. In
order to realize this mission, the High School Building Leadership
Team discussed potential service learning projects that would
provide opportunities for our students to contribute to the community.
The LA Webber High School BLT and a committee of students will
work in a partnership with the Lions Club to plan and construct
a community garden and picnic area.
In preparation for this project, the BLT and the student committee
will identify an area that is easily accessible to the Lyndonville
community and the students to convert into a garden and picnic
area. The early stages of this project will include the following:
researching local soil types and quality, researching the plants
and shrubs that thrive in this environment, drawing plans for
the garden and picnic area, and developing a list of supplies
and materials necessary to construct durable picnic tables. In
order to understand the importance of working with the community,
Dick Pucher from the Lions Club will educate the students on the
importance and the benefits of providing service to the community.
Jeff Gress, the high school technology teacher, will meet with
the students to discuss and develop plans for the construction
of the tables to be used in the picnic area. Kathy Wronski, the
Ecology teacher, and Brian Frey, the Agriculture Club advisor,
will work with the students on soil sampling and landscape ideas
for the community garden area.
The students will complete all the work necessary to make this
community garden and picnic area a reality. They will test the
soil and purchase the landscaping supplies necessary to complete
this project (i.e. different types of plants and shrubs that would
be appropriate for the garden as well as any mulch and garden
tools). In order to stay within the constraints of a limited fixed
budget of $260.00, the students will shop for best prices of landscaping
supplies from local nurseries. In conjunction with Ms. Wronski
and Mr. Frey, the students will also draw plans for the community
garden and picnic area, and they will do all of the manual “grunt”
work, which includes: planting the shrubs, landscaping the area,
and building the picnic tables.
Throughout the project, students will keep a journal to reflect
on their experiences. The students will also write an editorial
for the local newspaper, and make a presentation to the Lions
Club about their experiences throughout the project as well as
what they have learned about providing service to the community.
The students will understand the importance of working with the
community and that their contributions can greatly impact their
environment.
A celebration will be held to acknowledge the work of the students,
teachers, Lions Club, and community members for their efforts
in making this project a reality. A luncheon will be held at the
picnic area to recognize the hard work of the students, staff,
and community members, and to provide an opportunity to discuss
and share all that was gained from this experience.
ACADEMIC LINK
Testing the quality of the soil at the project site and research
the characteristics of different types of plants and shrubs
that would thrive in this area parallels the New York State
Standards for Math, Science, and Technology, more specifically,
the Living Environment standards. By completing this project,
the students will have a real life practical example to connect
their knowledge from their Biology and Ecology classes with
their work on this project. Also, the students will be designing
the community garden and picnic area, and they will be utilizing
the technology shop to make the picnic tables. Developing a
landscape design and constructing durable picnic tables are
based on the CDOS standards of New York State. The reflection
piece of the project, journal entries and editorials, will reinforce
the use of essential writing skills that have been taught and
learned in English classes.
CHARACTER LINK
Planning, developing, and constructing the community garden
and picnic area reinforces positive character traits that will
assist the students in becoming productive citizens. During
the project, the students will partner with community leaders
in order to facilitate the planning and construction. In order
to understand the importance of working with the community,
Dick Pucher from the Lions Club will educate the students on
the importance and the benefits of providing service to the
community. The goal of this service learning project is to assist
our students with thoughtfully organized experiences that meet
community needs, they will feel proud as citizens of Lyndonville
upon completion of a lasting landmark in their community. Finally,
the students will a make presentation to the Lions Club about
their experiences as a contributing citizen as well as what
they have learned about providing service to the community.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
To summarize the mission of Lyndonville Central School District,
the school will partner with the community to promote global
citizenship in each student. In order to measure the effectiveness
of this projects efforts, a pre-project and post-project survey
will be created and administered. Each student will answer a
series of questions in regards to their understanding of citizenship
and service learning. Upon completion of the project, the results
from each survey will be compared in order to assess the success
of the program.
TIMELINE AND LOCATION
The construction of the tables will take place in the L.A. Webber
high school technology shop. Shopping for landscape supplies
and shrubs will take place at Wal-Mart in Brockport. The Community
Garden and Picnic Area will be place near the playground, which
is located on the grounds of L.A. Webber High School.
Early – Middle April: Discussion with Lions Club regarding
service to the community
Middle May: Test soil and research plants and shrubs
End May: Build the picnic tables
Early June: Shop for and plant shrubs
End June: Celebration
Goals and Objectives
Academic
Learning Goal: The students involved in the project participated
in activities the resulted in the construction of 4 picnic tables
and the development of a garden area. During this project, the
students linked their knowledge, understanding, and prior experiences
of basic tools, teamwork, and assembly line production to work
collaboratively in small groups to plan, measure, cut, assemble,
and stain the lumber that is required for building the picnic
tables.
Standard: Career Development and Occupational Studies Standard
2
Learning Goal: The students involved in the project participated
in activities the resulted in the construction of 4 picnic tables
and the development of a garden area. During this project, the
students reflected upon their knowledge of Biology, classification
systems, and eco-systems in order to create a landscape design
for the garden area. The students researched the soil types and
the duration of sunlight to make thoughtful a selection of the
type of shrubs and plants that would thrive in the garden area.
Standard: Math, Science, and Technology Standard 4
Service
Community need: Lyndonville Central School District
has partner with the community to build a playground for school
and community use. This project was an excellent opportunity for
our students, staff, and community to work together for a common
goal. The district is currently planning another playground. There
is no seating for parents, teachers, and community members to
use while the children and students are playing on the playground.
The creation of the Community Garden and Picnic Area provides
parents, teachers, and community members with a place to where
they can closely monitor their students and children, and it provides
the community with a place that they can use for a picnic.
Possible Community Partners: The students and
staff of L.A. Webber High School partnered with the Lyndonville
Lions Club to make this project a reality. Mr. Dick Pucher and
Mr. Jeff Gress (both of the Lions Club) worked with the students
throughout the project to provide them with information regarding
the community service and with guidance during the physical labor
of the project.
Objective: One goal for this service-learning
project was to create a space on the beautiful grounds of Lyndonville
Central School District for the community to enjoy. This Garden
and Picnic Area provides the parents, teachers, and community
with a quiet place to sit outside to enjoy the surroundings, have
a picnic, read a book, or hang-out to enjoy the view of the creek.
Objective: Another goal is to provide parents
and community members with an area where they can be close to
their children while they are using the playground. With the Garden
and Picnic Area positioned near the playground, parents, teachers,
and community members will be close by and able to provide adequate
supervision of the children that are using the playground. The
increased supervision will ensure the safety of the children while
they are using the playground.
Character
Virtue: Citizenship and Community Service
Objective: During this project, the students partnered with the
Lions club to facilitate the completion of this project. At the
start of this project, the students invited Lion Dick Pucher to
come and speak to them about the importance of community service.
The students demonstrated this virtue by working with a community
organization and their peers to make this project a reality. The
students feel proud for developing a lasting landmark that can
be enjoyed by the students, staff, parents and community.
Virtue: Responsibility
Objective: To successfully complete any project, the individual
making it happen must demonstrate a tremendous amount of responsibility.
During this project the students demonstrated responsibility in
many ways. To construct the picnic tables, the students used power
equipment, tools, and stain. The students use the equipment, tools,
and stain in the proper manner in order to ensure the safety of
the students. Also, these students made a commitment to work on
this project for two months. The amount of time these students
gave to complete this project and the cooperative work they did
with the Lions Club demonstrates responsibility.
Key Activities
Key Planning Activities
1. The High School Building Leadership team began meeting in
September to discuss possible ways to involve the students and
community that would result in a product that could be used by
both parties. After reviewing the different needs of the community,
the idea for creating a Community Garden and Picnic Area was developed.
The BLT drafted a proposal to apply for funding for this project
and made contact with the local Lions Club Chapter to create a
partnership. After the partnership was developed, a general timeline
was created, and a group of students was identified and asked
to participate in this project.
2. Students were included in the planning process as well. There
are three student representatives on the Building Leadership Team
that also volunteered their time to the completion of this project.
At the initial meeting, the students worked with Mr. Gress to
plan the construction of the picnic tables. Mr. Gress and the
students created several small groups of students and task lists
for each of the groups. They also created a timeline for completing
the work that lasted several weeks during after-school hours.
Mr. Gress and the students had a group that was responsible for
measuring and cutting the lumber, a group that assembled the base
and supports, a group that assembled and attached the tops and
the benches to the base, and a group that stained the tables and
prepped the tables to be placed outside. Following the construction
of the tables, the students researched the soil type and quality
for the area and researched the different shrubs and plants that
thrive in those conditions. The students designed a plan for the
landscaping.
Key Service Activities
1. The High School Building Leadership team began meeting in
September to discuss possible ways to involve the students and
community that would result in a product that could be used by
both parties. After reviewing the different needs of the community,
the idea for creating a Community Garden and Picnic Area was developed.
The BLT drafted a proposal to apply for funding for this project
and made contact with the local Lions Club Chapter to create a
partnership. After the partnership was developed, a general timeline
was created, and a group of students was identified and asked
to participate in this project. In order to understand the importance
of working with the community, Dick Pucher from the Lions Club
came to the school to speak with the students on the importance
and the benefits of providing service to the community. This took
place at the beginning of the project (after the planning phase
and prior to the action phase). The goal of this service learning
project is to assist our students with thoughtfully organized
experiences that meet community needs, they will feel proud as
citizens of Lyndonville upon completion of a lasting landmark
in their community. After Lions Club member Dick Pucher spoke
to the students about community service, the students started
meeting with Jeff Gress after school in the high school technology
shop.
The students worked with Mr. Gress to plan the construction of
the picnic tables. Mr. Gress and the students created several
small groups of students and task lists for each of the groups.
They also created a timeline for completing the work that lasted
several weeks during after-school hours. Mr. Gress and the students
had a group that was responsible for measuring and cutting the
lumber, a group that assembled the base and supports, a group
that assembled and attached the tops and the benches to the base,
and a group that stained the tables and prepped the tables to
be placed outside where they would be used by the teachers, students,
parents, community members, and children as a quiet place to sit
outside to enjoy the surroundings, have a picnic, read a book,
or hang-out to enjoy the view of the creek. After three weeks
of working on the tables (the middle of the project), the students
researched the soil type and quality for the area and researched
the different shrubs and plants that thrive in those conditions.
The students designed a plan for the landscaping. The students
worked collaboratively to till the soil, plant the shrubs, lay
the mulch, and edge the beds to finish the Community Garden and
Picnic Area that will be next to the playground on the campus
of L.A. Webber High School.
2. At the completion of the project, the students will be involved
in a celebration. After several weeks of hard work, the students,
Jeff Gress, Dick Pucher, and the high school BLT will utilize
the Community Garden and Picnic area to enjoy beautiful grounds
of Lyndonville Central School District.
Key Reflection Activities
1. (oral) Oral Presentation-The students will make a presentation
to the Lions Club.
2. (written) Journal-The students make daily journal entries throughout
the course of the project.
3. (performance) Citizenship Survey-The students were given a
survey at the beginning and the end of the project.
Demonstration Activity
At the completion of the project, the students will be involved
in a celebration. After several weeks of hard work, the students,
Jeff Gress, Dick Pucher, and the high school BLT will utilize
the Community Garden and Picnic area to enjoy beautiful grounds
of Lyndonville Central School District. The parents of the students
will be invited to share in our celebration. This celebration
with provide the students with an opportunity to enjoy some refreshments
and to engaged in discussions about the project that they had
completed.
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