Agencies
Services
Blog Post – Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Possible online services disruption due to Internet related outage
Blog Post - April 26, 2006
Meet Allison Acevedo and her Citizenship Through Community Service class!
Mrs. Acevedo is a teacher at William B. Orenic Intermediate School in Plainfield, IL. She teaches fifth graders the importance of community service by helping them to delve into projects that better their community. Projects have included a book drive for young students, food drive with a visit to a food pantry, “doggie starter kits” made by the students with a visit to a shelter, and contribution of goods and time to Operation Care Package.
When asked how she became involved in teaching such a class, Allison says she became involved with volunteering in high school. She served on the Student Council, where her most memorable project was organizing a prom for special needs children and dancing with them. While in college she worked with a youth counseling agency where she participated in mentoring programs and other volunteer based activities.
Mrs. Acevedo was able to begin the Citizenship through Community Service class to fulfill a Social and Emotional Learning requirement. The class idea stemmed from club LEAD (Leadership, Empathy, Action, and Dedication), a club she had already created to actively help students fulfill ideas for service projects. The club is still active and open to students in fifth through sixth grade. On the weekends and after school, groups of fifteen participate in different service projects not done in the class.
The classes are broken into teams of 50. With 150 students it is difficult to find places that can accommodate all at once. Allison still finds it challenging to find host sites for 50 students at a time, but she gets it done. Most sites wish they could accommodate them all, and those who can are happy to have the extra hands! Each trimester there are three different service trips to accommodate each team, with a total of nine service projects per year.
Students in the Citizenship through Community Service class begin their projects by talking about the various needs in their communities. They are encouraged to think of projects they believe would benefit the various needs they have identified. Allison explains that often there are too many project ideas to complete in just one year! She keeps many for possible future projects. Once the projects are selected students begin organizing each project from the ground up. The students prepare all aspects of seeing the service project through. They work together to promote and encourage their student body to get involved. Previously they have made flyers, announcements, and run a web page to generate support. The Citizenship through Community Service students have actively served at their school’s family reading night, St. John Lutheran food pantry in Joliet, Hopeful Tails Animal Rescue also in Joliet, and Operation Care package in Manhattan.
Mrs. Acevedo says students really enjoy their projects. She has them journal their experiences, and enjoys reading the students various reflections on their service. It has been a rewarding class for all involved. Allison says it is wonderful to see the ideas flourish and students thinking about more ways they can make a difference in the future.
Future projects include another book drive for the younger students, Hoops for Heart currently being done by club LEAD, a run/ walk a-thon to sponsor water purifiers for Flint Michigan, and research on local hunger in the classroom with a service project for Feed My Starving Children.