KIDS Service-Learning Awards 2007

Sun Safety, Eddington School - Holden, Maine

Two years ago, students at the Eddington School recognized their community’s need for better education on the dangers of the sun’s UV rays. Since then, these students, now in fifth grade, have worked diligently with numerous local organizations to educate their community about sun safety. They have continuously researched the issue of sun safety and UV rays, and brainstormed new and interactive ways to educate others. The students created and distributed posters, wrote a page on the importance of sun safety for the Eddington School Handbook, and have presented at numerous conferences including the local USDA’s Earth Day Event and KIDS’ Student Summit. The students also took their own advice and designed hats that they wear outside to protect themselves from the sun!

World War II Prisoner of War Camp, Forest Hills Middle School - Jackman, Maine

Eighth grade students at Forest Hills Middle School have been working hard to preserve an important part of Maine’s history – a World War II German Prisoner of War Camp in Jackman, Maine. After discovering that the historical site had been neglected and forgotten about, the students began researching and brainstorming ways to preserve and honor the site. As part of their research, the students attended local historical society meetings and visited another POW camp in Houlton, Maine. In an effort to preserve and educate others about this rich Maine history, the students have decided to erect a monument to commemorate the camp. With the aid of numerous community partners, the students obtained a monument, which was erected and dedicated at the site in June!

Shaken Baby Syndrome, Lyman Moore Middle School - Portland, Maine

Four eighth grade students at Lyman Moore Middle School have been working since 2006 to educate their peers and community about the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). The project began after the students discovered that SBS is not mentioned in many babysitting courses and that over half their peers have never even heard of the syndrome. Partnering with local experts on SBS, the students did extensive research, and brainstormed ways to educate the public. The students created a four-poster panel with information about the syndrome, which they presented at several state and national conferences, and created an informational brochure on SBS to give to babysitters and expectant parents. The informational brochures were distributed to local doctor’s offices and Red Cross babysitting courses. This project was part of the international Project Citizen initiative, a program of the Center for Civic Education; in Maine Project Citizen is coordinated by KIDS Consortium.

John Brewster Jr. Project - Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf – Falmouth, Maine

Students at the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Governor Baxter School for the Deaf partnered with the Portland Museum of Art to incorporate the Deaf culture and experience of today with the Museums’ A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster, Jr. exhibit. The students did research on John Brewster, Jr. and his artwork and compared the Deaf culture in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. Then, the students brainstormed the best way to incorporate today’s Deaf culture into the exhibit and decided to create a video of the students signing their interpretations of various paintings. For the video, the students studied and recreated many of Brewster’s paintings, which they displayed in the background with students in front signing their interpretations; the video included captions for those not fluent in American Sign Language. In addition to the video, the students also created cards for exhibit paintings depicting an object from the painting with the “sign” for that object. The students’ contributions to the exhibit gave the community a glimpse of today’s Deaf culture and were considered to be a highlight of the exhibit.

2007 Community Partner Leadership Awards

The Portland Museum of Art - Portland, Maine

The Portland Museum of Art, for its part in the exceptional John Brewster, Jr. project, received KIDS Consortium’s Community Partner Award. The Museum’s Education Department recognized that this partnership would not only enrich the exhibit experience for Museum patrons, but would also be a unique way for the students at the Maine Education Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to share their culture with the community. The Museum provided the students with exceptional resources and support in their project, including an educational tour of the exhibit in ASL and a formal reception celebrating the exhibit.

Rotary Club of York - York, Maine

Since service-learning was first initiated in the York School Department in 2004, the York Rotary has been an active and valuable community partner in numerous service-learning projects. Over the past three years, the York Rotary has done everything from financially supporting a project to collaborating with students to create healthy menus and cook dinners at “Families Together” events. York Rotary has been involved in service-learning projects that span all grade levels and academic subjects, including elementary school health and high school career prep projects. In the 2006-2007 school year the York Rotary has been an active community partner in both the York High School “Families Together” project and the “Career Quest” project. The “Families Together” project focuses on educating the community about healthy eating and exercise habits and the “Career Quest” project focuses on career preparation and civic engagement.