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Published on 03/08/1999 All articles from this issue

Going beyond school

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By Linda Taaffe

Town Crier Staff Writer

Community service programs have youth learning and growing

Laura Dennis can tell you virtually anything you want to know about horses. She knows which breeds have sensitive skin, which ones make a good partner for children who are rough, and which breeds have mild temperaments.

The Los Altos High School junior said she didn't even know how to ride a horse a year ago. Through her school's community service requirement, Dennis got her first hands-on experience working with animals last July at the B.O.K ranch at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills - a therapeutic horseback riding program for students with developmental problems.

Dennis has been bitten and has had her foot stepped on, and she has had to learn how to communicate with children with different behaviors. But she said she "loves it." She said this opportunity has enabled her to get a jump start on what she plans to study in college - veterinary medicine.

For Brad Wolfe, collecting backpacks, notebooks and pencils to distribute to needy students locally began as a 10-hour stint to fulfill his community service requirement at Los Altos High. Now in its fifth year, his KIDS 2 KIDS program has grown from a classroom assignment into an organization run by students from three high schools and serves more than 2,000 students in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Wolfe earned the Bronze Prudential Spirit of Community Award last year, an honor given to three high school students in each state nationwide for outstanding community service. His sister took over the operation this year now that Wolfe attends Stanford University.

The program has remained one of the most popular volunteer opportunities at the school.

Andrew Essary discovered that people with autism are "just really normal kids who have disabilities and look a little different." The 13-year-old St. Nicholas School student said he didn't know what autism meant and was nervous when he first signed up through his school as a volunteer to work with autistic students at the Morgan Center in Los Altos.

Andrew recently made two redwood benches for the students at the Morgan Center as part of his Eagle Scout Project. He said he considers the students among his closest friends.

These are just some examples of how students are contributing to their communities through school programs. Although the concept of volunteerism has long been a part of the Catholic school system's ideals, community service has mushroomed in the public school system in recent years, providing students hands-on learning experiences.

Educators from both school systems say students have taken volunteerism beyond their school requirements. They say its not uncommon for students to spend their weekends, mornings or evenings volunteering in the community as a regular part of their routines. Some students have racked in more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service.

When asked why they go beyond the required volunteer requirements at their schools, students commonly responded: "It's fun." "It's rewarding." "I want to make a difference."

Delaine Eastin, state superintendent of public instruction, considers volunteer programs valuable for another reason. Eastin said she sees volunteering as a way for students to master curriculum in a more hands-on fashion.

Recent research indicates that service-learning programs, which incorporate hands-on volunteer opportunities with classroom curriculum, has a positive impact on students' academic achievement and school success. Studies show that volunteerism creates a bond between students and their schools, which improves the overall school climate.

If Eastin has her way, service-learning programs will expand to every public school in California.

"We want to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare them for the 21st century, and we also want to prepare our young people to be good citizens in our democracy," Eastin said in a press release last December. "Service-learning is a teaching method that accomplishes both goals. It gives students an opportunity to gain working experience alongside people from all employment sectors."

At Los Altos High School, the service learning program is a curriculum requirement, but about three-fourths of the approximately. 1,400-member student body continue to volunteer even after fulfilling that credit, with some students volunteering thousands of service hours by the time they graduate, said program coordinator Ginger Beman.

"The (Learning Service) program is a really good opportunity for them to get involved in the community in a meaningful way," Beman said. "There's real acknowledgment nowadays that everyone needs to have a stake in the community. There's a lot of needs out there. Teens are great volunteers and they offer a fresh perspective."

Beman said service learning projects enhance academic skills and provide a connection between what students learn in school and what is happening in their community.

Unlike community service programs, the Service Learning program at Los Altos High weaves community issues into classroom lessons. Students studying a foreign language, for example, could volunteer as a tutor where they could use their language skills, she said.

Los Altos High's program was founded in 1992 as a way to create a sense of community within the classroom. About 50 organizations work with the program within the school year, Beman said. The program won the prestigious Golden Bell Award in 1996 - a statewide honor given to exemplary service programs.

Bob Lee, coordinator of the service learning program at Mountain View High, said the unintended bonuses of volunteering are numerous. Volunteering provides students the opportunity to become leaders, discover talents and learn about their interests, he said.

"There's a great variety of opportunities to get them out into the community in parts they've never seen before," he said. "It's a very broadening experience."

Kari M. Wingate, recreation coordinator for the community services department for the city of Mountain View, said she knows the advantages of recruiting teen volunteers for middle school programs.

"They definitely have a positive effect," she said. "They have that 'cool factor' - (Younger) students can relate to them."

Wingate said three Los Altos High students helped to launch a drama club last month at Graham Middle School in Mountain View. She said the response has been incredible.

"You have to pull teeth to get some of these students to do anything," she said about the Graham students who signed up for the club. "I was so surprised that they came and liked it."

Sister Barbara Nixon, principal at St. Nicholas School in Los Altos Hills, said, "Volunteering isn't a requirement (at St. Nicholas), it's just like part of the air they breath. Kids just do it. It's something they all do."

Through the school's outreach program, students have "adopted" with families in San Jose, helped to launch a reading center and have collected items for families in East Palo Alto. She said the volunteer programs have helped to make students look beyond themselves.

"They are aware of people who are maybe in a different place in the world than themselves. I think it heightens their awareness," she said. That's true for Dana Saign. She said she never thought much about what it would be like to start off her morning without something as basic as a toothbrush until she participated in her school's community outreach program. In an interview last November, the eight grader said that in the back of her mind, she was always thinking about how she might help others in need.

"We don't want a check from home. What we want is for children to really experience giving and being involved," said Audrey Foraker, co-coordinator of the outreach program. Foraker said students help make deliveries and meet with their "adopted" families.

"Students can read about hunger and look at the numbers, but until they talk to somebody ... It's very empowering," Beman said. "I think it builds into other successes and opens lots of doors. When students feel good about themselves, they do better in school."