Driver Middle School English Teachers Initiate Service Learning Day

Community service has always been a major element of the Marcellus Central School District educational experience. The District expanded on that concept during the 2008-2009 school year as they made “service learning” a component of the English portfolio program in grades 7-12. Students will now have the opportunity to participate in a variety of community service activities and reflect on their experience in writing through their English portfolios. Driver Middle School English teachers Kathy Rein, Marguerite Sundberg, Colleen Mahoney, and Ryann Reifler took the service learning aspect of the curriculum one step further as they initiated a service learning day for all 7th and 8th grade students: April 12th for 7th grade and April 14th for 8th grade. Students, teachers, and administrators set off from school for a morning of community service at a variety of local agencies and sites. 7th grade students worked in the Marcellus community while 8th grade students went to work in the greater Syracuse area. The service learning experience helped students to work toward their English portfolio service learning goals.
Outlined below are the essential questions students need to answer through their service learning experience at each grade level:

Grade 7: Define service learning. What did you complete? How did your participation affect your community?

Grade 8: In your own words, what does service learning mean? From your experience with service learning this year, how would that impact your high school choices for service?

Among the agencies and sites visited by 7th grade students were: Marcellus Community Child Care Center, Amberations, World of Wonder Child Care Center, Spinks Camp, Village of Marcellus Offices, Marcellus Park, Baltimore Woods, Marcellus Free Library, Orenda Springs, Marcellus Parent Nursery School, Crazy Daises, K.C. Heffernan Elementary School, Marcellus Food Pantry/Presbyterian Church, Marcellus Historical Society.

Among the agencies and sites visited by 8th grade students were: St. Camillus, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Brady Faith Center, Catholic Charities, First English Lutheran Church, Francis House, Assumption Church, VA Hospital, Red Cross, Rescue Mission, Samaritan Center, Salvation Army, Bridle Path Manor, and Hope for the Bereaved.