Student Perspectives on Community Service-Learning

The following was written by Adam Hatfield and Hillary Moore, two students fomerly enrolled in the WSHS Community Service Learning Class.

When a student enrolls in CS-L, they may think of it as just another opportunity to leave campus, an opportunity that any Senior immediately jumps at. As the class progresses, however, each student learns that this class is more than a way to avoid 80 minutes of added captivity. Not only do members of the community benefit from each person's time and efforts, but it also allows the students to learn valuable life skills and to explore parts of themselves that were not apparent to them prior to the class.

Whether at the Senior Friendship Center or the Winona State University Day Care, students give organizations in our community their undivided attention for approximately an hour, four days out of each week. Within this comes newfound feelings of love, kindness, concern, and thoughtfulness for the people at each site, people these students may not have previously known. For example, Winona has a high population of senior citizens, one that is far greater than the population of high school students. Our Community Service-Learning class allows students to bridge the gap between the ages by giving the elderly a chance to visit with a new friend who has different views and outlook on life. Another focal point of the class is interaction with younger school age children. An example of this is Head Start, an organization that serves the needs of under privileged, preschool-age children. These children, many coming from one-parent households, look to this program as the only constant in their lives. They can depend on Head Start for a good meal, basic hygiene, and other skills that ready them for school. With the addition of high school seniors in their classroom, these children have role models to look up to and a greater opportunity for the individual attention they deserve.

Although we have only described two of the sites affected by our class, there are many other classrooms, centers, and organizations that benefit from our work. People with disabilities, elementary and middle school students, and foreign language students also have a special place within the hearts of community service students. Community Service-Learning has opened the doors to cooperation and respect between school and community and has broadened our perspectives for years to come.