All About Service Learning
Service Learning at Westgate started out as a high school only endeavor. However, we saw the value of it for every student and since the 19-20 school year we have included all grades in service learning.
Advocacy classes (homeroom) choose a topic for the year to focus on. Examples from years past include animal sanctuaries, wild animal habitats, effects of pollution, COVID safety, wildfires, and even systemic racism. With their topic chosen the students become an expert on it doing research, conducting interviews, writing personal narratives, and doing surveys of people within the school and the community. As they become experts they can identify needs within this topic. The class can ask questions such as, how can we educate the public on this topic? What can we do to raise awareness, raise funds, or acquire resources?
Students will eventually be able to identify the service project that will be helpful, useful, and pertinent to their particular topic. Possible projects include: PowerPoint presentations, art shows, videos, ABC books (ex: ABC’s of Wild Animal Habitats), presenting to our Board, physical projects such as goat care or garden boxes.
Projects wrap up mid-April so that they can be presented to the rest of the school and our community on Earth Day. The exhibition of their projects is one of the most crucial parts as it is the moment the community can see the hard work that has been done and can partake in the education and awareness of each of these important topics.
Each part of the service learning process allows students to:
- have agency of a community issue
- work collaboratively with their peers
- problem solve
- communicate with others including people in the greater community
- gather and manage information and resources
- apply skills and talents that may not be used in other disciplines
- have agency of a community issue
- work collaboratively with their peers
- problem solve
- communicate with others including people in the greater community
- gather and manage information and resources
- apply skills and talents that may not be used in other disciplines
Here at Westgate we see excitement, joy, and passion come out during service learning. Students and teachers are making positive change in our community and beyond.
Service learning is a major part of whole child education. We believe these projects provide students the opportunity to meet the following goals:
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- intellectual development (e.g., problem solving)
- basic skills acquisition (e.g., communication)
- moral and ethical development
- social and civic responsibility
- career preparation
- multicultural understanding
- personal growth
Additionally, the service learning projects provide us the opportunity to make our curriculum relevant while meeting community needs. Exactly what we want to be doing!
High School Service Trips Overview
9th Grade
Students in the freshman class concentrate on projects that are in our community such as adopting a regional park trail, volunteering at Denver Food Bank of the Rockies or collecting clothes for those in need.
10th Grade
Students in the sophomore class concentrate on projects that are in our state such as a wolf sanctuary or working on the Continental Divide Trail.
11th Grade
Students in the junior class support Habitat for Humanity in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Each year the class volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and works on several different houses that are in various stages of construction. This can include framing, mixing and applying concrete or just about anything the Santa Fe team asks them to do.
12th Grade
Students in the senior class choose a project anywhere in the world that they can fundraise their way to! Previous classes have gone to Puerto Rico, Belize, Thailand and Costa Rica.
Students in the freshman class concentrate on projects that are in our community such as adopting a regional park trail, volunteering at Denver Food Bank of the Rockies or collecting clothes for those in need.
10th Grade
Students in the sophomore class concentrate on projects that are in our state such as a wolf sanctuary or working on the Continental Divide Trail.
11th Grade
Students in the junior class support Habitat for Humanity in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Each year the class volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and works on several different houses that are in various stages of construction. This can include framing, mixing and applying concrete or just about anything the Santa Fe team asks them to do.
12th Grade
Students in the senior class choose a project anywhere in the world that they can fundraise their way to! Previous classes have gone to Puerto Rico, Belize, Thailand and Costa Rica.