The Gardening Service-Learning Project

Characteristics of School Mostly African American students Low socio-economic status About 10% lower scores on standardized tests

Project Structure 2 project coordinators 4 First grade teachers Multiple community partnerships

History of Service-Learning Project YSA Grants: Youth Service America UnitedHealth State Farm Although community service and civic engagement have a long history on college campuses, there has been a resurgence of interest on campuses across the country in the last 25 years. The passage of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 authorized grants for schools to support service-learning and created the organization Serve America. Since then, Serve America along with AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs have been combined to form Learn and Serve America. The service learning initiative took on new depth of meaning on Louisiana campuses after the fall of 2005. Universities within Louisiana experienced a renewed vigor in reaching out to local communities after the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The eight campuses within the University of Louisiana system created “ULS Serves” as a service learning initiative funded by a grant from the Corporation for National community Service’s Learn and Serve America Division. To date, over fifty service-learning projects have been implemented as a result of ULS Serves.

Current Funding Endowed Professorship Louisiana Serve Commission in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor

Community Partners City of Natchitoches Mini grants Sign Fruit trees

Master Gardeners Association Funds for improvement Advice Free plants and seeds

Louisiana Department of Wildlife 1st grade students felt a bobcat fur as they learned about the impact of Louisiana’s wildlife on the ecosystem

LSU’s AgCenter

Science Lesson Topics Living vs. nonliving things Weather and clouds Characteristics of soil Parts of plants

Service-Learning Activities 1st grade students started a small school garden last Global Youth Service Day

The Garden Today

Lettuce Crop

School Beautification

Helping the Environment

Assessment Activities for Service-Learning Project Thank You Letters Guided reflection Thesis Research Project