High-schoolers earn tuition by serving
Seniors at Logan High can earn a year of paid tuition and books at Utah State University simply by giving back to their community.
These students are part of a program called the College Counts Learning Leadership Program. Seniors can apply to be a part of the program that provides service learning throughout the year. Students are required to attend a weekly planning meeting at which they plan their major service projects. After each project, they are required to write a paper to reflect on what they’ve done, and what they’ve learned.
“That’s what service learning is,” said Katie Evans, College Counts scholarship coordinator. “Serving, and then reflecting.”
This is its second year of operation. Last year, seven seniors were involved. This year, there are eight.
Students in the program work on many different kinds of services.
“We tutored at elementary schools, planted trees, and tried to put some concerts together,” said Cole Comadena, an undeclared freshman who participated in College Counts last year.
Each participant is required to work at least five hours a week in after-school clubs around the valley.
“We helped kids with homework, like reading and writing,” said Flora Estrada, an undeclared freshman, who also was part of College Counts last year.
The rest of the time is spent focusing on their major projects.
“This year, they just jumped right in,” said Todd Milovich, assistant director of financial aid at USU. “There was no time to sit around and get scared.”
The first major project of the year was in conjunction with the Utah Conservation Core. The two groups teamed up to teach one day of environmental education in local first-grade classrooms. First, the two groups decided what they wanted to accomplish in the classrooms. Together they established a curriculum. Then, they divided and conquered.
“We take over the whole first grade,” Milovich said. “Each class becomes an ecosystem, and then the class chooses an element from that ecosystem.”
The class then spends the day discussing that element and writing a book about the element they’ve chosen.
“Later that night everything is put on display so their parents can come see what they’ve done,” Milovich said.
This past Christmas these eight students organized a benefit concert for five families around the valley who needed help with Christmas.
“We picked a family from each of the sites we’re at and provided Christmas for them,” Milovich said. “We raised enough money to fill all the needs on all the Christmas lists.”
The College Counts seniors also work in conjunction with students from the Fast Forward program, an alternative high school in Logan. There are 35 students in the Fast Forward program.
“Each of these students is required to complete 20 service hours per semester,” said Rebecca Hogan, liaison for USU and Fast Forward.
Fast Forward students do a lot of work with music and video production, which are implemented in programs College Counts students are working on in after-school clubs.
“We tell the kids that we have a famous rock band coming and they need help with a video,” Hogan said. “We then work on rhythm and movement.”
At Reading Elementary they read “Where the Wild Things Are.” The students then made costumes and learned the song “Wild Thing” to go along with their video.
“We had all sorts of wild noise coming from the kids,” Hogan said.
The Fast Forward students then make the video.
“Fast Forward is the film crew, and edits the movie as part of their service hours,” Hogan said. “It’s nice because Fast Forward can get their hours, and we can utilize their talents.”
Next year, Fast Forward will also be a part of the College Counts Scholarship program. Students at USU can also be involved in these programs. Positions are offered as part of financial aid packages, through work study positions. Anyone interested in working with service learning can check the job board at the end of Summer Semester 2004, or the beginning of fall for positions beginning Fall Semester 2004.
-apassey@cc.usu.edu