Service Learning Coordinator for 2011-2012

Stacy Wood
MHSServiceLearning@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Phone: 829-9987
                      

Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.  In short, think of three essential pieces:

1. Meaningful community service
2. Connected to the curriculum
3. Students are involved in the process & reflection

NOTE:  Service learning is NOT the same as community service! Service learning is the combination of service work (like community service) and learning to bring an element of service to the curriculum.  It is different from community service in that it must have learning goals that relate to the curriculum and planning and reflection pieces that involve students.

The graduation requirement committee has recommended that students (starting with next year’s incoming freshman) have 40 hours of service learning (NOT the same as community service, although that is good, too!) before graduating.  40 hours was chosen as a number that seemed reasonable when researching service learning at other participating schools. Students would participate in 10 hours per year.  This requirement has also been a long-term goal of the leadership at MHS and is supported by the board.

There are many wonderful things about service learning.  Service Learning allows students to participate in service projects that are meaningful and educational and can often answer the question, ‘Why are we learning this?’  These projects are helpful to the community, display Middleton students in a positive light, and facilitate relationships among our students and the world around them.  They will be contributing members of our society!

What if student doesn’t get 10 hours in a year?

• That’s okay!  The suggested number per year is 10, but the total required for graduation (40) can be attained at any time!  If a student doesn’t get all 10 in one year, they can participate in more hours the next year to make up the difference.

What about transfer students?

• Any students transferring to MHS will be ‘retro-fitted’ their service learning hours.  Meaning, for example, a student who transferred during his/her sophomore year would be expected to have 10 hours of service learning per year, making his/her total for graduation 30 hours instead of 40 hours.

Can ‘outside sources’ of service-learning count?

• While we support all types of community service, remember that service learning must be related to the curriculum and must also include reflection from the student.  Many ‘outside sources’ promote excellent community service, but do not relate to a student’s curricular needs.
• Out of school service-learning projects are encouraged!  These projects MUST contain the three components of service learning:
• Must be connect to the curriculum
• Must benefit both the student and the community partner
• Must include planning, preparation, action, and reflection
• Directions for completeing an individual service-learning project are listed below.

Click here to see which classes at MHS currently offer service-learning.

For more information about service learning, check out these websites:

www.servicelearning.org
www.service-learningpartnership.org
www.learnandserve.gov/about/service_learning

 

• Freshman will get most of their service-learning hours through the advisory program and their other coursework.  This is a time for freshman to learn and understand the meaning and purpose of service-learning.  Students will learn the foundations of service-learning such as collaboration with their peers and building relationships with members of the community.

• Sophomores and Juniors will get most of their service-learning hours through their classes and co-curricular activities at Middleton High School.  We’d like for these hours to be meaningful to students and for classes to have experiences that expand beyond the walls of the school.  Students at this level will be encouraged to take more of a leadership role in identifying and organizing projects that inspire them to take action and make meaningful changes in the larger community.

• Juniors and Seniors are encouraged to focus on projects that are more meaningful to their college and career interests.  Opportunities will be a mixture of not only classroom and co-curricular based service-learning activities, but will also include individual service-learning projects.  Students at this point should be knowledgeable from their previous experiences with service-learning, thus enabling them to start independent work on projects which excite and inspire them to make a difference in their community.

Process for Individual Projects:

Individual service-learning hours may be completed in one of the following ways:

• Based on interests and MHS coursework, students may develop service-learning projects of their own.
• Students may select from a prearranged list of community projects.
  • Ideas from Middleton Outreach Ministry

Students interested in completing individual service-learning projects must fulfill each of the following requirements:

• Preapproval (before beginning a project)
• All individual projects must be preapproved. 
• Forms for preapproval must be submitted electronically to MHSServiceLearning@mcpasd.k12.wi.us or a paper copy may be turned in to the service-learning mailbox in the MHS administrative office at the four corners. 
  • For projects that will be completed during the school year, submit your preapproval forms at least two weeks prior to the start of your project.
  • For projects that will be completed during the summer, submit your preapproval forms by June 1st.
• Forms for preapproval can be found here
• Individual Service-Learning Project Preapproval Form (required) 
• Student Responsibility Contract and Parent Permission Form (required)
• Transportation Waiver for students under 18 (if student will be transporting him/herself)
• Transportation Waiver for students over 18 (if students will be transporting him/herself)

• Project documentation and completion (during and after a project)
  After project completion, all of the following documents must be submitted electronically to MHSServiceLearning@mcpasd.k12.wi.us or a paper copy may be turned in to the service-learning mailbox in the MHS administrative office at the four corners:

• Students must document hours completed.
• Students must provide contact information (phone and e-mail) for a community partner or supervisor.
• Students must submit a project reflection about the connections to the curriculum, the impact of the project on him/herself, and the effect of the project on the community.   Some reflection ideas and prompts can be found here.

From Wendy Hinz:
Our CNA class is required to do their clinical rotation ( 50 hours) at a local nursing care facility or hospital. We use both Attic Angels Retirement Center and Saint Mary's Hospital Cardiac Unit. This is a required part of the class based on a state certification curriculum. Students must qualify to do clinical rotation hours by completing 60 hours of lab in my classroom and then passing on-line tests with at least a 77% ( based on Madison College grading policy) They attend clinicals 2 days a week , 5 hours each day. This lasts for 5 weeks.

From Ellen Baum:
The LMC offers an independent study that is service learning oriented with practical hands on library experience and weekly reflections and instruction. It is typically offered for credit but can be morphed into just about anything a student is looking for.

From Bob Elland:
My students created portraits for The Memory Project. The Memory Project is an initiative in which high school art students create portraits for children and teens around the world who have been orphaned, neglected, or disadvantaged. To do this, each artist receives a photo of a child and creates a portrait from it in a medium of their choosing. Once finished, the portraits are delivered to the kids for keeping. Advanced Art students have created a total of 43 portraits from children in India.  The students not only improved on their portrait drawing skills, but learned how one can create a piece of art that can be so meaningful for someone else.  Some of the children in the orphanages don't even have a photo of themselves.  Students can be pretty possessive of their artwork and I couldn't believe their willingness to give away the created portraits to the children.