Woodland students learn about impact of volunteering

• Woodland service learning

Students in 5th and 6th grade at Woodland Elementary School in Alexandria are part of a pilot program in which they chose three service learning projects.

Talk about it

Area students have been actively learning about the value and impact of volunteering.

The students are part of a School District 206 pilot program that started at Woodland Elementary School last fall. It is open to 5th and 6th graders.

The program offers students recreation, leadership, technology, homework help and service opportunities from the time school is dismissed until 6 p.m.

Students are able to choose which components they want to participate in. Eight to 12 have participated each week in the service component, which began in January. These students meet every Tuesday from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.

According to Lynn Ranson, youth service coordinator for District 206 Community Education, the students brainstormed and had discussion on what service learning was, what a community was and what kind of needs there would be in each community.

The students interviewed their principal and teachers to find out what needs there were in their school community.

They then chose three service projects to work on during the months of January, February and March. Those projects include the following:

• The students organized, clipped and counted all the box tops, soup labels, etc. that were donated to the school. They worked on this task for a couple of weeks. Once organized, the items are sent in to redeem equipment and supplies for the school.

• The second project benefitted Meals on Wheels and the Senior Dining Center. Lynn Lesnau from Meals on Wheels visited with students about the programs. For the next several weeks, they decorated more than 75 placemats for seniors to dine on.

• The third project benefitted Someplace Safe. Susie Trexler of Someplace Safe talked with students about the program. The students then spent the next month knitting hats and scarves to donate to individuals utilizing the organization’s services.

Another service project is being planned for April.

Tags: life, student, woodland, volunteering