Service Week
Megan (Grade 11 / Avalon) Originally published May 2004Recently, Avalon School in St. Paul had Service Learning Week. For five days, students had no classes, and instead did group projects that were focused on service learning. Some students did things such as; volunteered at the Jeremiah Project in downtown Minneapolis, helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity, cleaned up the Mississippi River, trained as Peer Mediators, and worked for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program with an elementary school. Students also had the option of designing their own independent service week projects, such as working at an animal shelter.
Student’s had mixed feelings on Service Learning Week. Some did not enjoy service week because it was “mandatory volunteering,” or they were forced to do something that they did not enjoy. Others felt that service learning week was a good experience and they had a lasting relationship or understanding with the community around them.