Service-Learning in Talbot County

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

See the complete fact sheet (PDF file) for Talbot County.

Each student is responsible for developing an independent or group service-learning project. The Talbot County school system partners with Chamber of Commerce to match students with community-based organizations that provide opportunities for students to fulfill their service-learning hours.

Breakdown:

• Elementary school - students are exposed to an awareness of service-learning. Instructional units in grades K-5 infuse service-learning outcomes. Elementary hours do not apply toward graduation.
• Middle school - students participate in a three-week service-learning orientation unit worth 15 hours. Students must also complete a service-learning project.
• High school - students fulfill one of the following options for 75 hours: a service-learning project; participation in a student organization service project; or participation in service-learning courses.

Transfer Policy: Any student transferring into Talbot County Public Schools must meet the 75 hour service-learning graduation requirement. Seniors transferring into Talbot County Public Schools during the school year who have not completed the service learning requirements will be placed in a service learning course. However, seniors who transfer out into Talbot County Public Schools from private or out-of-state institutions during the second semester will be exempt from this requirement.

Reporting: at the conclusion of the 8th grade and each semester of the high school grades, the student's report card will reflect his/her service-learning hours.

3. Teacher Fellows (see overview)

Students completed an interdisciplinary unit on oystering on the Chesapeake Bay. Throughout this unit they learned about the oysters and the current conditions that have impacted the oyster population. Lastly, they developed a plan that allows students to improve the conditions surrounding the oyster population. The students used their classroom knowledge and go to the Maritime Museum where they actually worked with the oysters by gathering data on the spats' growth and the water quality of the Miles River. While at the museum, the students took an ecology cruise and a guided tour of the museum to enhance what they had learned in the classroom. After the trip was over, the students created posters, fliers, PowerPoints, etc. to share with the community surrounding St. Michael's. Best practices:

• The students gathered oyster spats, which they grew during the school year, and planted them on a protected oyster bar in the Miles River, in order to improve the oyster population.
• This was interdisciplinary unit, which met the curricular objectives in Math, Science, and Language Arts. By participating in this interdisciplinary unit, students were able to learn about the metric system and the oysters from scientific perspective, and read a novel that described what it was like to oyster during the late 1800s.
• Throughout the unit, students discussed the impact the oysters have on the community that surrounds them. Students discussed how they could create adverse reactions to the oyster population through their actions. They also explored how they could educate the public to advocate for the protection of the oyster population. The students ended the unit by completing a culminating oyster project that surveyed the community of their knowledge on oysters. They then discussed other ways in which they could personally help the oyster population.
• Students were responsible for nurturing and planting the oyster spats, as well as generating other ideas for protecting the oyster population.
• The project was started with the assistance of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
• Several faculty members had to work together in order to plan this interdisciplinary unit.
• The students were able to identify the causes of the decrease in the oyster population. In order to promote saving the oyster population, the students created posters, fliers, PowerPoint presentations, etc. to share with the community that surrounds the school.

Linda Brown, 1995, Easton High School, 410-822-4180, lbrown@tcps.k12.md.us

Students in the Culinary Arts program complete a variety of service projects through our curriculum. The following describes one of many projects created to benefit elderly and disabled citizens -- Project Sunny Day. Best practices:

• The students discovered that there are many elderly and housebound citizens with special needs. In collaboration with a local church, the students chose to prepare a nutritious hot lunch once a month for a group of senior citizens. The group members have grown to love the food, the nourishment, fellowship, and the youth that prepare it.
• Numerous food preparation skills are required in the curriculum. The students plan the menus around the skills that need to be met to complete the required units. For example, if the class has not completed the pasta unit, they may select stuffed ravioli for the entree that month. The monthly luncheon actually helps complete the curriculum as there is a direct need for preparation mastery.
• The students reflect often throughout the project. They express great excitement to be able to serve this special population. The students always express a desire to attend to all details as the audience is so receptive. Every dinner is recognized with notes and thanks from the guests. One guests writes, "That was a really good meal!! I ate every bit of it!" Many of those who attend the Sunny Day Lunch live alone and can do minimal cooking so you can understand how much the tender roast beef, green bean casserole with cheese and crouton topping, along with the roasted potatoes and carrots, tasty apple salad, cheese and plain rolls were enjoyed and nutritionally good for them. Another guest wrote, "thank you for sharing your skills with us, we are eagerly looking forward to next time." Reflection builds confidence and purpose for the students.
• The student responsible for the menu plan follows through with a detailed work schedule including assignments for each class member to accomplish toward the goal of a completed dinner. Included in this plan are shopping and skill lists so that all resources are present on the given day. Students must be responsible to prepare the appropriate number of servings of high quality food, ready at a given time.
• This project requires a partnership with a local nearby church. Retired members of the church provide the transportation to pick up the people who are shut-in and elderly attendees. The meal is funded in a combination effort between the church and students. The students use monies earned from catering other events outside the school day to help support the food supply needs. The church members also come to the school and pick up the food as the students do not have the flexibility to leave.
• In this project, students are involved in several stages of planning. Students plan the menu items, keeping in mind the special needs of their audience. Appropriate food choices are made. Students plan menus according to the time of year and any special holiday that may be close. Students plan ways and means for presentation that will stand transportation. Time and lab schedules are planned so that all food items are ready and at their prime for a specific pick up time.
• After menus are planned, students identify what skills and expertise are need to add to their existing knowledge bases. The instructor plans lessons and demonstrates for student preparation. Practice and preparation follow. Students are also equipped with knowledge about the special needs of the population they are serving. The Sunny Day Luncheon project provides the perfect venue to teach a variety of skills as the menu is left up to the students. The students develop empathy for their guests and look forward to the monthly activity. The guests physically, mentally, and emotionally benefit from the event. The project year culminates as the students and Sunny Dayers get together for the last fellowship of the season. From the anticipation of the visit to the bus trip back to school, the interaction is great. Everyone wins in a great service-learning project.

Robert F. Cooper, 1999, (Middle School Algebra, Social Studies)

Our canned food drive is a multi-discipline project integrated into the social studies curriculum. Students compile and graph information, promote healthy eating and gather canned foods for the local Salvation Army.

Kathleen Floyd, 2004, Easton Middle School, 410-882-2910, kfloyd@tcps.k12.md.us

After teaching a service-learning unit to my sixth grade students, we discussed how they could serve their local community. Several of my students wanted to work with the local humane society. A few days after having this discussion I learned of a severe case of animal cruelty in a neighboring county. As a result seventy-five of my students agreed to develop a project that would help to supply support to two local Humane Societies. Our project included a penny drive and a pet supply drive.

Meet a recognized community need: In the spring of 2003, there was a severe case of animal cruelty in a neighboring county. As a result the Caroline County Humane Society had to seize over one hundred cats and several dogs. Due to the large number of animals seized, their facility became over crowd and they were unable to care for all of the animals. The Talbot County Humane Society offered to help by housing several of the animals and accepting donations for the care of those left at the Caroline County Humane Society. My students decided that this would be a good opportunity for them to support a local organization. Students organized a pet supply drive in addition to a penny fundraiser. As a result of our project both Humane Societies were able to support those animals still housed in their facilities.

Achieve curricular objectives through service-learning: Through our project, students were able to learn about the needs of a local Humane Society. The project connected to several curricular objectives including math, language arts, and social studies. Students used their knowledge of sorting, graphing, writing, and citizenship to complete this project.

Engage students in reflection throughout the experience: Throughout the experience students were asked to reflect by keeping a journal describing their thoughts and feelings about this project. Many students felt as though this was a community need that they had not previously known about but were willing to continue working to address. We took pictures of our project and submitted an article to the local newspaper.

Develop student responsibility: Students had suggested doing a project for the Humane Society during a brainstorming session and ultimately picked this project. Students developed responsibility for this project by creating posters and advertisements that could be displayed both inside of our school and in the local community. Students collected pet supplies and money to support this project. At the end of the project students were responsible for counting the money and sorting and organizing the pet food and supplies.

Establish community partnerships: This activity was completed with the help of several community partnerships. The Talbot County Humane Society provided literature on how to care for and treat animals. The local Character Counts director helped in organizing donation sites and spoke to students about the need for community service and Character Counts. In addition, several local businesses allowed students to place posters or donation boxes in their facilities.

Plan ahead for service-learning: As a class we planned ahead for this service-learning project by discussing several ways in which we could help the Humane Society. All students were encouraged to make suggestions. We discussed the needs of the Humane Society and how we felt that we could best meet these needs.

Equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for service: As a class we read several newspaper articles about the needs of the two Humane Societies. We developed a plan of action that would benefit the animals. Students learned how to work with local organizations and businesses to achieve their goals.

Becky Milhollan, 1999, Easton Middle (Language Arts), 410-822-2910, rmilhollan@tcps.k12.md.us

Our 6th grade students completed an indirect service-learning project September through November 2001. It was our goal that students understand the needs of students around the world. We had our students work in groups to raise money to purchase school supplies to be sent to Kenya so that students there would be allowed to attend school. Best practices:

• Kenya has been plagued with drought for many years negatively impacting their economy and producing serious poverty issues. In order to ensure that students in Kenya would be able to attend school, despite a lack of resources to purchase school supplies, the Red Cross created a School Chest project to collect necessary school supplies for students in Kenya. We felt that our students would benefit greatly by understanding the importance of education and how, in some parts of the world, students who want to go to school can't because of lack of resources..
• The following content areas were involved with the project and various Maryland Learning Outcomes were achieved through our service-learning project.
  • Social Studies: Outcome: Analyze examples in which individuals and groups bring about civic improvement. By helping people who are in need in other countries, out students learned a great deal about civic involvement and the country of Kenya.
  • Math: The boxes were divided up according to the cost of those things to be put in the box. Students had to work with money as they did projects to raise the funds they needed to purchase items and then they worked with other groups to make up any deficits.
  • English: Students read non-fiction articles as they researched the country. They wrote letters to the recipients of the box telling them about schools in the United States and the life of 6th graders.
• We did a pretzel activity (distribution of wealth/food simulation) to help students reflect on the concept of poverty and how they would like to deal with this problem in the future. We also took pictures throughout the project and displayed them in the classrooms. This lead to reflections on the job that the students had done and how it made them feel.
• Each group of students was assigned a list of school supplies with an approximate cost. They were responsible for coming up with a way to raise the money needed to purchase the supplies. When the money was raised each group was responsible for purchasing the supplies and bringing them in.
• Our community partners for this project were The Red Cross and the student body. We had a great deal of parent support as well.
• We prepared and planned for the project by watching a video that was sent to us by the Red Cross. Students analyzed the project and discussed why this was an important contribution to the Kenyan children. We also did a great deal of research into the country and the people. We discussed why life was so difficult and how education would help with possible solutions to the problems that these people faced.
• Circumstances beyond a person's control contribute to poverty, and this is why it is so important that community members become involved in helping people get back on their feet. Students also learned that an education is something that they should cherish. Students used creativity to come up with ideas for raising the necessary funds to purchase the supplies that they sent to Kenya. If one group did not do their job, the box could not be sent; this was a very important lesson in group responsibility.

Theresa (Terry) Usilton Callahan, 1996, Easton High School, 410-822-4180, tacallahan@tcps.k12.md.us

I serve as the Talbot County Public Schools Service-Learning Team Leader. As such, I mentor teachers and community members in service-learning matters, serve as a community contact, prepare for and lead both a teacher in-service course and a community-based organization (CBO) training, oversee mini-grants, write service-learning grants, chair a yearly system assessment, coordinate service-learning activities, and teach the summer service-learning course for students. Best practices:

• Training supplied to community organization representatives helps maintain and improve the quality of student service-learning opportunities these organization offer so that CBOs can meet community needs.
• Teachers are provided a stipend and a 1-MSDE credit in-service class in which they learn about service-learning issues, quality service-learning projects, and how to infuse these into their classes.
• Teachers and CBO representatives are encouraged to use a variety of reflection methods in order to help students better realize the effects of their service on their community.
• Students are encouraged to write mini-grants for their projects/classes. Teachers and students are given any needed aid to achieve this goal. Students may also develop their own projects.
• Community organizations are invited to attend a TCPS training brunch or dinner in which they learn about service-learning and how it applies to their needs. As a result of these training sessions, students have more and higher quality opportunities to complete their requirement, and CBOs are comfortable in contacting the service-learning coordinators to offer these opportunities.
• The TCPS service-learning team conducts a yearly system assessment in order to reflect on what has been accomplished and decide goals for the following school year.
• Student have TCPS service-learning team member-coordinators in their buildings to act as resources to provide the needed knowledge and skills. Additionally, a summer service-learning course is held for students to earn additional hours.

Bonnie Wager, 2000, St. Michael's High School (English), 410-745-2852, bwager@tcps.k12.md.us

Our project focused on bringing students and the elderly community closer together. Students contacted a local senior/nursing center. We took a field trip to the center to meet the residents and spend time getting to understand their needs. Students began developing a senior day to be held at our school. Many organizations within the school actively became involved with our project. The day began with a tour of the school, followed by a talent show put on by classes and students, a senior luncheon with a Mexican theme, a jazz band presentation and door prizes for all. Best practices:

• The elderly population in our community needs to be involved in the lives of our young people. Their lives, and the lives of our students, can be enriched by this interaction.
• Many curricular areas became involved with this project because it fit easily into their curriculum areas. The contemporary issues class used the topic for discussion groups. Art classes worked on the decorations for the luncheon. Band students studied cultural music and practiced the melodies. Keyboarding classes developed the program and fliers for the community. English classes created the program and helped with the invitations. All areas pulled their talents together for the entertainment.
• Continuous discussion revolved around updating and refining the visitation surveys filled out by senior citizens and planning the program for the visitation day.
• Student recognized the need for addressing the issues of the elderly in their community. Every step of the process was student led.
• The nursing home has asked us to consider visiting the center more often. Students might help their elders with correspondence and day-to-day routines.
• Many of the student who took on and led this project are not typical school leaders. They understood the need of the elderly population of our community due to personal experience. They worked to make the visit rewarding for all in attendance.
• These students were equipped with the skills and knowledge to continue performing service for the elderly and others who are in need of companionship in our community. They feel confident to continue this program next year and look to other needs that are found in the St. Michaels' community.