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Service learning turns teens into volunteers
Some students had initial doubts about their projects, but most found they liked them as time went on.
LOWELLVILLE — Tenth-grade students with generous spirits and good hearts, willing to spend time volunteering?
What happened to the stereotypical self-centered teenager?
In teacher Lisa Iberis’s 10th-grade American literature class at Lowellville High School, service-learning projects happened.
Many of the students surprised even themselves.
“I got to find out how we were when we were younger,” said Josh Ivack, who coached in a fifth- and sixth-grade basketball league as his project. “The kids were fun, but it was a challenge to get them to pay attention,” he said.
Even so, Josh discovered he liked working with kids. “It was fun to see them progress,” he said.
Brandy Prusak said her visit to Summit Academy to read to elementary-school-age students showed her how much younger students like it when older students want to be with them.
“Of course I was scared to visit for the first time, but I definitely could see myself volunteering in the future because it makes other people happy, which, in turn, makes me happy,” she said.
The students also surprised their teacher, who said she is a believer in service learning.
Service learning is a concept that connects academic curriculum with problems or concerns in the community, with the goal of creating life-long lessons and memories for the students. It is important because it exposes students to real-world issues and problems and shows them they can use their skills to address those problems, Iberis said.
Iberis was impressed with the depth of her students’ projects and their overall success.
“My students have raised so much money for different charities, collectively about $2,000, with the largest project yet to come,” she said.
This school year was the first time Iberis introduced service learning into the curriculum of her class.
“I was pleased with how the kids, once they started, became more enthused as their projects progressed. At first, I just wanted them to volunteer with purpose, but project ideas started coming out,” Iberis said.
In reviewing their journals, Iberis discovered that some students had doubts about their projects at first, but most found they liked them as time went on.
Iberis said the projects ranged from helping elderly and mentally disabled citizens, students, children in a trauma center and hospital visitors, to fundraisers to earn money for school and community organizations.
“It was nice to see the students reach out to the community and care,” she said.
Gina Stouffer and Nici Donofrio worked for Animal Charity and Angels for Animals for their volunteer project, because they like dogs. They found it rewarding but also a lot of work. “We found it is hard to take care of dogs,” they said.
Iberis’ students had two project options: Volunteer with purpose or organize a fundraiser to help an organization.
Volunteering with a purpose means more than just showing up and putting in time. It requires students to come up with an original idea on how to help their organization, Iberis said.
A fund-raising project involves organizing an event to raise money or obtain supplies for an organization.
“I think service learning will eventually be a requirement in all high schools,” Iberis said.
It’s different than just volunteering. Students have to do research papers about the organization they are helping, and journal every aspect of the project, from preparation to reflection,” said Iberis, who lives in Poland with her husband, Joseph, and sons, Joey and Tyler.
The daughter of Richard and Terri Lyons of Boardman, Iberis has taught at Lowellville for the last seven years, and before that, two years at Chalker High School in Southington. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from Youngstown State University.
She said the projects are a lot of work for the teacher too, keeping the students on task, but it is well worth the effort.
As incentive, Iberis told her students that the projects would be an excellent addition to their r sum s and scholarship applications.
“But my whole purpose is that their projects will develop a life-long commitment, something that they will carry with them outside of high school; that it will help them realize that there is something besides themselves to be concerned about and problems in the world that they can actually do something about.”
alcorn@vindy.com