In Community Service Learning we are learning to play non-competitive games with little kids so they learn to work together. For instance, we have played a game called "ants" and "raid" and "one-team-volleyball." We hope these games will teach them that people can work together to win the game.

To play ants and raid (a bug-killer spray) there are two people who are the raid and everyone else is a ant. The two "raid" people have to tag the ants. When an "ant" is tagged he or she lies on his back and stick his legs and hands in the air. Four live ants can drag the "dead ant" to the "back to life" circle and they are alive again.

In volleyball players have a big beach ball and everyone hits straight up in the air while they are on the same side of the net. The one who hits it then runs to the other side of the net . There are other games, too.

We hope that the kids understand that it's as good to cooperate as it is to compete.
Jayden

Community Service Learning

Community Service Learning

In my school the grade sevens (I am in grade seven) have a class called Community Service Learning. Community Service Learning is a class where you go around and do things for your community. You don`t just do that but you do things for your school too! While you are helping out the benifets are: you are getting a good reputation and you are getting a better edudcation. In the spring we are going to be making a community garden but while we are doing that we will be learning everything we need to know about how to  do a huge landscape project. Community Service Learning is really fun so you should ask your teachers if you can make it a class if you do not have it already! It is so great!

This Young Man Gets It...

My class and I have worked on many different Community Service Ed activities. I thought that all activities were very fun. Looking back at all the activities we did together I have already learned something from them and the year has just started.

        I think Service Ed is a great opportunity to learn. Doing something for your community or anyone who needs help anywhere benefits all. Helping-out everyone is a big part of Service Ed. Shae-lynn, Sidney, Emily, and I went to the Credit Union and handed out food and drinks to the community members on Credit Union day. My class and I have helped out the school by pulling weeds on the school track. When my school did the Terry Fox walk I took four grade 1 kids there and back safely.

          I think it’s every ones responsibility to help out their community. Even if it’s doing something you don’t want to do because it is for the greater good. For example, at our Remembrance Day ceremony I wanted to take photos but the job was already taken so I did interviews instead. CSL teaches us teamwork. Sometimes, if you get a CSL assignment along with your other jobs you could become overwhelmed by the work. To avoid this to you ask for a partner or ask for a different assignment. Make sure you are ahead and not behind or you might disappoint people who depend on you doing what you say you’ll do. CSL teaches us to be responsible and cooperative, too.

The grade seven Service Ed class is having fun with the assignments we have gotten. I think Service Ed will make us more aware of the needs of our community and to help solve them.  

Weezie loves CSL

Service learning classes are fun-fun-fun-fun! While having so much fun every time we
do projects, we also learn more and more each time. When we do these
classes we meet more and more people all the time I am signed up for helping
the kindergartner class and I now know almost all their names .I can't wait until
we get to play more games with them !!!!!!!

And service learning is just a start for me.  When I grow up I am going to be a kindergarten teacher. So, this is meaningful experience for me. I can't wait. I have learned that teaching them games if I am always smiling I am helping them. This new idea is helping me to prepare to be a what I have always thought I wanted to be. And I am just in grade 7!

Emily's Second Post

I would like to thank the grade 4/5 teacher from our school Mrs Gwen.Muskego for letting Jacobl97 and me be in her class. Some of the things we have helped the 4/5's with is their math, spelling, power math, virchues and libary. We have even made a poster with them about TOLERANCE. Sometimes they are a handful but normally they are a group of really good kids.


Thanks for reading. I will keep you posted.

Sidney's Reflective Writing #1

C.S.L (Community Service Learning) is about helping our community, not for a prize but for feeling good and making other people feel good. Our grade 7 class is a small class but we are trying to make a big change , not only on our school but our small town. I learned that C.S.L can be hard but in the end you can feel good about it and that feeling is the greatest in the world. :)

How I feel About CSL

Community Service Learning is fun and not boring to me because we have lots of things to do such as, helping different classes. Earlier this year we helped out pulling out weeds off our school's track. Yesterday we helped setting up the stuff for the christmas play. The teachers said we were "terrific." In all the service learning classes I have never been bored there is always someting to do, including when we wite in our journals what we did and how we feel about it.  I think that Service Learning and being helpful is fun and not boring.
Morghan Gottinger

How CSL is Meaningful to Me

At the start of the year I didn't know that I would learn how to take real photographs and not just snapshots. When the opportunity was presented to me to serve as the "official" photographer of my class's CSL events and our school newspaper, The Marshall Marauder, I figured it was just like trying a new food. It's just it wasn't food it was a camera and I discovered my new passion, taking photographs. Without a doubt I love the photography business and learning about it became part my service learning project.

BY TYRELL NEWMAN

AJ's Post

In this entry I will talk about service learning and what I do in Community Service Learning class.

One of the questions I was asked to answer when reflecting on myself and my maturity level.  I think it is about an 8 out of 10. I think I'm helpful. When people ask me to help them I do. I know I need to improve on my emotional responses to stressful situations. I am working on it.  It's difficult.

In CSL we learn about service to our community. For example, a while a go we pulled weeds on our schools track in phs Ed. We were talking about fixing up our skate park. Last year a teacher asked me to help her with track and field. She said to be there very early in the morning to help, and I did.  I help at the school before any teacher arrives. Some days I meet the caretaker at the door at 6:50 am.

So this is what CSL is.

Community Service Learning and me by Koryssa Steveson

Service Learning is about serving others as well as myself. So when you do good things for others, good things happen back to you.

I have been helpful in these ways.I baby sat the kindergarteners when my friend wasn't at school; I am going to start volunteering at the SPCA most Saturdays. I also do my chores around the house without being told.

People sometimes misunderstand me when I first meet them.They think I am a shy and quiet person until they get to know me. For example; the first time Mr. Horgan, my Service Learning teacher, met me he thought I was a shy and quiet girl until the 2nd or 3rd week or school.Now I joke around with him all the time.

I know I need to improve my ability to study more and to remember to bring my books home to study with. For example; I didn't study for my Japan, math and science test and I forgot to bring my books home.

I show my appreciation to those who believed in me by being nice and showing respect.

One of the reasons I think CSL is meaningful is that I think my maturity level is a little bit higher than an average grade 7 student.For example; I had to change schools twice and I handled that very well, I deal with a challenged brother and sister and I am the oldest sibling so I have more responsibility.

Service learning has shown me that if I am mature, considerate, cooperative, respectful and responsible good things can happen to me and the community.



By: Koryssa

Emily's CSL post

In my school we have a class called Community Service Learning (CSL) I won't lie it is not very exciting at times but it is one of my favorite classes. We get to help people in our community but also we get to help ourselves. I have learned a lot from this class. I have also learned to be a great leader and that is how I ended up on Student Represenattive Council and going to a SRC Leadership Conferance. There we had a lot of great speakers. Robb Nash was one of my favorite. He talked about how he was pronounced dead and how with the help of people believing in him he came back to life. Now he has a band and writes songs. All his songs are about his life and the things that happend in his life. All of them are really inpiring. He tought us to LOVE yourself and to be yourself. If anyone out there is alone or not proud of their self they should listen to " Trouble Child" By Robb Nash. Once you listen to it it gets a place in your Heart. Hope to see you soon.

Marshall School

Welcome to Marshall School's Community Service Blog. My name is Michael Horgan. Each of the 15 grade 7 students in our class is learning that to be in service to one's community is not only fun but it provides opportunities for the kids to educate themselves, deepen their understanding of things in which they are interested, and discover how rewarding it is to be a member of a team that produces something of value for others.
We invite other schools who are doing CSL or those who would like to do it to tune in once in a while to what we are doing.  Perhaps we could connect to share ideas and experiences. For example, in the Spring the grade 7s will be undertaking 2 large service learning projects: a Senior prom for senior citizens and we will build a community garden.  If you have anything to share, please feel free. If you are interested in trying something similar, we will be happy to be your guinea pigs.
Michael Horgan