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CONTACTS:
Karleen Burgett, school-to-work coordinator, 541-751-7131
Laurie Nordahl, librarian, 541-751-7129
Heidi Roe, counselor, 541-751-7186
Pam Romanko, 541-751-7129
North Bend students pitch in for community
Student ownership is the hallmark of a successful program at North Bend High School that involves small groups of students volunteering with wide-rippling effects in the community.
The Community Service Involvement program began two years ago.
"We wanted to give students a taste of community service and its intrinsic value," said North Bend Principal Bill Lucero. "We felt that it was important for them - for all people - to experience what it means to contribute to the community without monetary compensation."
Two counselors, a librarian and the school-to-work coordinator worked with others to hammer out the details of the Community Service Involvement program.
The program fulfills NCLB requirements, costs the school district nothing and - best of all - allows students to do community-service projects that benefit others while learning valuable skills such as planning, coordinating, working on a team, problem-solving, meeting new people and follow-through.
North Bend students, in teams of 10-15, work with a staff member to choose a community project on or off campus that can be completed in a half day.
Student teams are responsible for their project from start to finish. They select a project and meet several times to plan the project, ensuring that materials and tools are on hand, transportation is arranged, and work crews are set to go. The teams get the job done between 8:10 and 11:45 a.m. After the projects are completed, students, staff and helpers meet on the football field for a barbecue, and then return to the classroom to write about their experience and reconvene for an afternoon assembly.
The word is out in the North Bend community that students, in teams of up to 15, are available to help with projects, and requests for assistance as well as offers of support are pouring in. Projects have included building ramps, pulling shopping carts out of the slough, street and mall cleanup, gardening, and painting. The mayor has addressed the students, telling them how much it means that they are pitching in to help. The community has provided volunteers, tools, materials and food.
"We heard some grumbling at first," said Lucero, "but, by the time the projects were completed, lots of students wanted to do more. And they can accomplish a lot. If you think of teams of 15 students . that's a lot of hands."
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