Article

Test program focus is on the community

Tuesday, August 29, 2006 • BY JIM LOCKWOOD AND LAURA JOHNSTON • Star-Ledger Staff

Students at three area high schools will have a new require ment for graduation this year -- performing at least 15 hours of community service.

High Point Regional in Sussex County, North Warren Regional in Warren County and Mountain Lakes in Morris County are among the 30 schools in the state that volunteered to participate in a three-year pilot program approved last year by former acting Gov. Richard Codey.

It calls for juniors and/or seniors to work with a state-approved community, nonprofit or public institution to perform pub lic service, and the extra work must be done on the students' own time, outside of school hours.

High Point Regional -- which includes students from Branch ville, Frankford, Lafayette, Sus sex Borough and Wantage -- had been looking for the past few years at creating such a service requirement, and now will require 20 hours of service from each of its 250 seniors, said Jill Schafer, the school's service learning coordinator.

"It came from a desire to have students perhaps be a bit more worldly, to see how one person can change something, to have our kids see a world outside their own," Schafer said. "The intent is to broaden their horizons."

Many High Point students should be poised to meet the goal, because a civics class at the school in Wantage already has a year-long service-learning re quirement, Schafer said. About 130 students who take that civics class each year will be able to have that service count toward the pilot program.

"I really feel we have a lot of kids who are right on track with this all ready. I think it's going to be easy for a lot of kids," Schafer said. "I think it will be difficult for a lot of kids who have trouble in school in general, but a lot of those kids -- when put in the position of helping someone -- they step up to the plate."

School clubs doing community service and certain activities in Scouting or 4-H also would satisfy the new requirement.

"It can't be, 'Oh, I'm raising a goat to show at the state fair,'" Schafer said. "But if your 4-H club collects food for someone in need, that would count."

High Point students will also have to write a "reflection essay" about their community service.

At Mountain Lakes High School in Mountain Lakes, Patty McElduff believes the work outside the classroom is an impor tant part of education. "It's teaching to the whole student, not just the academic student," said McElduff, the district's learning-in-the-community coordinator.

Mountain Lakes has incorpo rated community services into the curriculum of each grade, so its 700 students learn in the classroom, then go out and apply their knowledge, she said.

Freshmen work on an international project, sophomores tackle a national issue, juniors help a local outreach and seniors write letters and e-mails to senior citizens in the "senior outreach," McElduff said. Last year, for example, the sophomore class raised $5,000 by throwing a Mardi Gras carnival, then donated the money to a school it adopted in Baton Rouge, La.

"It makes their contribution more meaningful," McElduff said. "It's a win-win situation for the community, for the kids, for the faculty."

At North Warren Regional High School in Blairstown -- which includes students from Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick and Knowlton -- juniors will be required to complete 15 hours of community service as part of their required U.S. History 2 class, said Mike Ventura, director of student personnel services.

Students will study civic duty and community service as part of the class curriculum, do 15 hours of volunteer work and write a reflection piece on their experience, Ventura said. For the pilot program, the community service will not be linked to the students' ability to graduate, but rather will count as any other required class assignment in the history class.

Students can meet the re quirement by doing an activity through a club or athletic program, such as cleaning up a highway or working with kids at an annual Santa visit to the school, he said. Or they can donate their time to an outside organization.

"We know for a fact we're not going to have problems with stu dents finding these experiences," Ventura said.

At the end of the pilot program, the school will tell the state what worked and what didn't, he said. But he believes the program will enhance education.

"You go through high school and you're involved in so many things, but what do you really do to give back to the community," Ventura said. "It's all part of being that well-rounded student when you leave high school."

Learning to serve at 3 high schools

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