Service Learning

On Monday most of KPBSD will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day.  The extra day of this weekend gives us time to pause and reflect on why the third Monday in January is a federal holiday.  For many, the day is also a time to give back to your community by doing service. On Monday, scores of volunteers will be cleaning up neighborhoods, dishing out food in soup kitchens or holding activities for seniors or children.  The concept of service is one that most people support- how could you not?- but often do little about. 

A quick scan of websites shows that service-learning has been a part of schools for a long time and really gained popularity in the 1980s.  Some states now require a credit in service-learning to graduate.  Homer High School, Homer Flex and River City Academy are our only schools that require its seniors to complete a service project.  The question of whether schools should venture beyond teaching academics to include items that have more social value such as service-learning, is not easily answered because we already require our schools to cover so much that is non-academic. I know however, that most educators support service-learning as a way to help shape civically minded students. Our strategic plan includes a goal that all students will participate in a service learning project by May of 2016. Our mission statement calls on us to develop productive, responsible citizens.   KPBSD students spending time doing service as a part of their schooling helps us to meet this mission, and ultimately helps them recognize that they are part of a larger system that functions best when people freely give to their community.  Looking ahead, the application of learning through a service project is an excellent way to make school more meaningful for our students.  It also makes our communities a nicer place to live.