Service-Learning in Baltimore City

Sections:

2. Fact Sheet

3. Fellows

Contact the designated MSSA Regional Coordinator with questions, or to update information on this page.

1. Service-Learning Contact Information

2. Service-Learning Fact Sheet

Service learning is infused into all subjects in grades 6, 7, and 8. Students are expected to complete at least 50 hours of service during the middle years and continue their service in high school. The high school focus is to create and support a personal goal of lifetime commitment to service. In addition to infusion, students earn hours through independent projects, interdisciplinary projects, school, community, and system wide designed projects.

Breakdown:

• Grades 6,7,8 - English, art, science, foreign language, physical education (10 hours/subject), math (5 hours)
• Grade 8 - Social Studies (10 hours)
• Grades 6,7,8 - Health education (5 hours each year, 15 hours total)
• Grades 9,10,11,12 - English, science, social studies, health education, fine arts, career & technology education, foreign language, infusion of hours no specified, number, Clubs, organizations, specialty groups, honor societies and other internal and external school affiliations provide service opportunities for both middle and high schools student

Reporting: Service learning hours are recorded on the student's report card. Each school has the capacity to access to student's records and generate reports as needed and/or requests.

Transfer Policy: Official report of hours earned are a part of the transcript and follows the student. Students transferring in to BCPSS from systems outside of Maryland hours are prorated based on their classification. Interstate students who transfer into BCPSS in grades 9 and below must earn 75 hours, in grade 10 earn 60 hours, grade 11 first semester 40 hours and second semester 30 hours, grade 12 first semester 20 hours, second semester 10 hours

3. Teacher Fellows (see overview)

I sponsor a student service-learning program. Students meet for one class of 60 minutes per day. These service students are predominately concerned about the urban environment and the people who inhabit it. Program students attend class four days a week to meet their academic requirements and work at their service sites on the fifth day. Service students are required to maintain their grades by making up all missed class assignments. Program students are able to choose their service day and service sites based on need, seniority and interest. Students serve at places such as St. Vincent de Paul's Society, Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Carrie Murray Outdoor Education Center, Cylburn Arboretum, etc.

Wendy Blackwell, 1993, Frederick Douglass High School, 410-396-7821

Save the Earth Workshop is a partnership between the Francis M. Wood High School, Baltimore Museum of Art and William H. Lemmel Middle School. The high school students studied an interdisciplinary unit called Global Warming and taught the components of that unit to Lemmel's students. Together the two groups found "recycled" art at the museum to inspire them (brainstorming stuff) to create a quilt together. The BMA pays for the bus for our meetings and provides a meeting room and teacher resources. I attended an interdisciplinary workshop at the BMA and helped to write the Global Warming curriculum in 1994. (Last year Wendy transferred to Lemmel, the year beforewhen she did this project she was at Francis M. Wood.)

Sharon Blake, 2000, Frederick Douglass High School (Social Studies), 410-396-7821

My most memorable experience engaging my students in a service-learning activity dealt with the most recent Mayoral Primary Election in Baltimore City. This service activity engaged students in a "Get Out The Vote" effort two weeks before and the day of the Primary Election. Students were prepared for this activity by having the mayoral candidates visit the school and address issues relative to how they intended to serve the people of Baltimore City while dealing with such issues as homelessness, poverty, education, and crime. Students then worked in groups to come up with a way they could get involved and serve the community prior to the Primary. Each student conducted a survey of twenty-five people in their neighborhood and/or community to identify what would help them be assured that they would vote on Primary Election Day. After tallying their surveys, the number two response from the community was encouragement to "Get Out The Vote". Students wrote letters to the top three Democratic and Republican candidates offering to become a part of their campaign dealing with "Getting Out The Vote". The candidates that responded, worked closely with me in preparing students to help run a phone bank and "Flush" team on election day. To take part in the phone banking efforts, students did a role play to prepare to make telephone calls and read a script. A simulation was used to prepare the students to knock on the doors of citizens and remind them to go to the polls and vote in a very friendly but informative manner. This activity included having students inform citizens of car pools that would deliver citizens to and from their polling place. This was considered the "Flush" team and/or "Getting Out The Vote." As a result of student involvement in "Get Out The Vote" students were able to establish a respectful relationship with their neighborhood and community leaders. Community groups and leaders have called and written to the school to engage students in additional advocacy projects. Equally as important, students have come to me to ask to do more activities within the community to earn service-learning hours above and beyond those required for graduation. Throughout the entire service-learning activity students were asked to reflect daily on their experiences. Students completed reflection sheets, participation in group sharing sessions, journalized, and maintained learning logs.

Norma Cole, 1993, Fairmount-Harford Institute, 410-396-6241

1998: All students in the school are involved in a renovation of an abandoned community lot. This multidisciplinary project has students designing and maintaining the lot.

1993: Adopt a senior citizens center. Students provide services to residents such as prepare meals, repair clothing, and small household repairs. Nursing students visit twice a month and take blood pressures and hand out small gifts from printing and needle trades. Culminating projects have been Everybody's Birthday Party, a Fun Day with crafts and games, and a senior prom.

Marian Finney, 1995, Central Office, 410-396-8538, mfinney@bcps.k12.md.us

1996: Thematic units for each grade level team will be designed from course outcomes, core learning goals, and social issues. Each student will have an opportunity to complete 30 service hours per year as part of integrated curriculum.

1995: Our service-learning program has branched from the theme "He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother." This resulted in providing services in many areas - drug education, homeless needs, direct service to agencies and institutions, collecting foods, clothes, books, political involvement through formal classes and infusion. One service-learning class team assessed community needs before designing the program and delegated responsibilities to teams. The second class/team decided to provide direct service to community institutions. The total school participated in a Service-Learning Promotion Activity sponsored by clubs and organizations (they facilitate our collections). Celebration activities are scheduled each spring.

Jeannette Hall, 2003, Dr. Nathan A. Pitts Elementary-Middle School, 410-396-0636, Jhall@bcps.k12.md.us

See the September 2003 Sherry Unger Award. Our Service Project was with Port Discovery the New Kid-Powered Museum, sponsored by the Education and Student Service Division. This opportunity to volunteer in downtown Baltimore, provided our students a more global outreach than they usually enjoyed. Students served as mentors, tutors, and docents. They assisted other students from public and independent schools throughout Maryland, in the most effective use of the interactive educational exhibits.

Renay Leggett, 2000, Southern High School, (Service-Learning), 410-396-1500

Southern High School is surrounded with a wealth of excellent agencies. The South Baltimore Men's Shelter and the Woman and Children's Shelter are two agencies in the community. The need we met was to help with the collection of non-perishable can goods and other non-perishable items. The service-learning program at Southern High School is set up as an internship service program that supervises students in the field and planned field trips. We did several things for reflection; talk about why we should make homelessness our concern and how we can be advocates for homelessness. We were a part of the Walk for the Homeless 99. We established a partnership with South Baltimore Men's Shelter and the Woman and Children's shelter. I invited the Writer's group to come and speak to my service-learning classes and they spoke about their experience with the homeless and how the Writer's Group came to be. An excellent way to plan for service-learning is to investigate the community. Find out what agencies are in walking distances -- then use the resources around you.

Cheryl Parris, 1998, Joseph C. Briscoe Career Center (Math), 410-396-0770

Our club (S.H.O.P. - Students Helping Other People) has helped to feed many, many homeless and hungry people over the years through our bag lunch project. Our students really enjoy this activity. They enjoy the preparation as well as the actual process. Each student is delegated a particular task to do. We have a partnership with City Temple Church.

Genevieve Perry, 1997, Walbrook High School (Health), 410-396-0721

Students worked with Lens Crafters and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at "Giving the Gift of Sight." This project was designed to assist low income or working poor community residents to obtain an eye examination and one pair of needed eyeglasses free of charge.

Terry Thomas, 1998, Carver Vocational-Technical High School (Health and Service-Learning), 410-396-0553

My most memorable moment as a service-learning instructor occurred at the Maryland Baptist Aged Home. Once the students saw the reaction of the residents and saw how valuable they were to others, they began to value themselves. They performed needs assessments and took the responsibility to initiate projects within the school and community. They became stakeholders and self motivated because they directed their own learning.

Susan Wheeler, 1996, Southern High School, 410-396-1500

I do environment learning during the spring/summer and fall. We plant trees, cultivate food for food banks in D.C. and Baltimore and clean the area around the Inner Harbor where Southern is located. Every spring I plan a camping trip for educational purposes and to do service-learning. Last year students cultivated a farm for three days. This year we are planting trees and clearing paths/trails in Virginia. During the winter we cook and give toys to the homeless.

Bessina Williams, 1996, Northeast Middle School, 410-396-9221

My students are assisting with the restoration process of Gwynns Falls - Leakin Park. The students have provided a variety of services to various participating organizations from the design to clean-up of the park.

Jacqueline Holmes, 2002, Robert Poole Middle School, 410-396-6456

A core group of students annually organize a school-wide campaign to raise funds used to purchase critical items for teen parents who are homeless and their children. Best practices:

• Our annual "Trim-A-Tree for Baby" campaign addresses the community need of teen parents who are homeless and their infants. This project was an outgrowth of other projects that addressed the needs of youth and children who are homeless throughout our city and state.
• Through the various activities connected to the project, students met the following curriculum objectives: writing to inform, writing to persuade, and writing to express an idea.
• Daily messages and announcements made by students during the campaign fostered ongoing reflection. Students also answered questions on a pre-printed "reflection sheet" designed specifically for this project. Posters, which were created and displayed throughout the school, also reminded students of the activity and encouraged school-wide participation.
• The students wrote letters to the principal requesting permission to have a fund-raiser during lunch periods so that the money raised could be used to buy items needed by the young people who are homeless. Students wrote slogans, jingles, and announcements about this service-learning activity that were read over the schools' intercom system daily. Several students engaged in the creation and decoration of ornaments and/or helped sell them.
• Students also wrote letters about the project to parents and various community organizations enlisting their support. Among them was the Hampden community Center.
• Planning for this service-learning activity took place in several stages through meetings with guidance facilitators to discuss the project and have them decide tasks and duties, as well as meetings with teams of teachers.
• The students did research about people who are homeless in the area and the needs of infants and toddlers. The information students gathered was shared with classmates on the various teams. Students also made enthusiastic announcements about the activity, prior to getting started, to gain peer and teacher support.

EllaJay Parfitt, 2002, Southeast Middle School, 410-396-9291, eparfitt@umd5.umd.edu

As part of the Environmental unit in science (7th Advance Academic), I engage students in a three phase service-learning project. The students engage in both direct service and advocacy. Students learn about environmental problems that effect the Bay and write letters in support of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's education and public awareness programs. Some of the letters also address public awareness of what goes in to the Bay from littering. As part of their course, students work in the outdoor classroom collecting data for the Baltimore Ecosystem Studies and refurbishing the area for underclassmen and elementary students who will visit the school grounds. Students also developed lessons that they will teach to other students about our environmental site and the Bay. Best practices:

• The need in the community was environmental awareness and how we interact with our Bay. We hoped to reduce pollution in the Bay.
• The curricular objectives that the students met with this project are based on the Maryland Content Standards in Science: Apply concepts and processes of science to take and defend a position relative to an issue; Use the knowledge of science and available scientific equipment to devise a plan to solve a global (local) problem; Compare how different parts of the world have varying amounts and types of natural resources and how the use of those resources determines environmental quality (i.e. soil erosion, water pollution, deforestation); Analyze how human activities can accelerate or magnify many naturally occurring changes (i.e. erosion, air and water quality, populations).
• Students conducted weekly assessments of their progress and at the conclusion of the project discussed the impact that their lessons had on the younger students. They made a difference in how the students view our environment. They felt that they had given back to both the school community and the environment and left others with facts to help them appreciate the beauty of nature.
• Students' responsibilities were developed using cooperative groups that became research teams. Each member of the team had a responsibility or job to perform in completing the curricular assignments and the service assignments. Students identified what they wanted to accomplish over the course of the unit and mapped out who was doing which tasks. The outline was then approved by the teacher.
• Community partnerships were loosely established with the research scientists of the Baltimore Ecosystem (BES) and the nearby elementary school.
• To plan for the project, I reviewed the Maryland Science Standards and set up meetings with the BES research team. At the meeting, I presented my ideas for the outdoor classroom and the elementary outreach. They continue to support my students in their studies and projects.
• To prepare my students for their projects, we studied issues that effect the Bay and all who depend on it. We conducted experiments to test water, air and plant photosynthesis. We used the internet to find out the latest information on government policies or new twists to old issues.

Mary Radcliffe, 2002, Forest Park High School, 410-396-0753

Forest Park students developed a project to promote self-esteem and create wholesome activities for the student body. They created a Mother/Daughter Banquet to celebrate "sHeroes" in the community. Best practices:

• The purpose of this activity was to foster closer communication between female students and women in the community from other generation in an effort to create a stronger community. The students identified this need by surveying the students, members of the PTSA, and Forest Park staff members.
• The students spearheaded this activity, acquired financial support and other resources to fund the event and utilized various student organizations to execute the various tasks needed to make the activity successful.