WEAC wins service-learning award

From the Department of Public Instruction

WEAC was one of five recipients of the State Superintendent's Service-Learning Awards during the State Superintendent’s Institute on Service-Learning and Citizenship February 22-23 in Middleton.

“Service-learning encourages students to use their academic skills to make a difference in the world,” said State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster.

"It gives me great pleasure to present these awards, which recognize efforts to keep the civic mission of schools strong and foster civic responsibility in students by linking what is learned in the classroom and application of that knowledge in the community through service-learning experiences.”

Burmaster said WEAC is instrumental in providing the professional development and support teachers need to implement service-learning as an instructional strategy. Service-learning is one of the initiatives that will help Wisconsin meet the goals identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Educators gain new skills in service-learning thanks to the outreach and encouragement of WEAC staff, represented at the awards ceremony by WEAC Teaching & Learning Director Char Gearing and WEAC Instruction and Professional Development Research Consultant Russ Allen.

Other State Superintendent Service-Learning Awards were presented to:

• Amy Keliher, a teacher in the Slinger School District, whose efforts have involved 1,000 youth in Slinger in service-learning projects this year and trained 300 educators in how to use the methodology in their classrooms. From keeping the community safer through Project Ignition, a seat belt safety project, to third-graders learning about developing traditions as they produced quilts for Hurricane Katrina victims, the students in Slinger are making a difference. As one of her students commented, “Mrs. Keliher helps us understand that what we learn in school actually makes a difference in our community.”
• Kelly Savage, public relations specialist at State Farm Insurance, brings the service agenda to Wisconsin communities every day by helping schools make connections with local State Farm agents. Through these partnerships, schools can carry their work beyond the school doors. Savage provides inspiration through the service-learning projects she supports throughout the state and all that she does to bring communities and schools together.
• In the Eau Claire Area School District, schools have been involved in community projects and volunteerism for many years. Now, through a Learn and Serve grant awarded to the district, a service-learning advisory board has been formed, bringing together youth, educators, and community members from all levels to make service learning a reality in classrooms throughout the district. Already, 60 educators and 165 youth have been trained in this process, 15 community partnerships have been formed, and a collaborative relationship has been established between the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and K-12 schools. Eau Claire’s service-learning effort is a model for districts throughout Wisconsin.
• Lauren Hauser, VISTA member, has developed a cadre of young adults, working to bring together high school and college students to create stronger communities across the state. During the week of April 22 to 28, these energetic young people will launch a bus tour called R.I.S.E. UP Wisconsin. The tour to seven different communities will offer training in service-learning to gatherings of high school and college students, educators, and community members, seeking to empower more people to take civic action in their communities.

As part of the awards ceremony, Julie Bass-DeVries, an agent with State Farm Insurance, presented two $1,500 awards to Hauser and the Eau Claire School District to defray the costs of attending the National Service-Learning Conference. Hauser and a representative from Eau Claire will join Teri Dary, service-learning consultant at the Department of Public Instruction, in making a presentation on forming a national youth speakers bureau.

“As you all know, Wisconsin’s motto is ‘Forward,’ reflecting our state’s continuous drive to be a national leader," Burmaster said. "We believe in our shared responsibility to make our communities vibrant places to live,
work, and play. We strive to help students learn to apply knowledge and skills within the context of a global community, deepening their understandings and increasing their ability to think creatively and
solve problems. I want to commend these service-learning award recipients for their efforts to make Wisconsin a national leader in connecting education and community through service learning."

Posted February 27, 2007