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Students 'psyched' for community action
“The course is meant to be a hybrid, multifaceted way of learning,” Gross says. “It’s not just the research you do in the library — it’s connecting that research with a personal, relevant experience. Both parts are really important, and they inform each other.”
Erin Nordstrand '12 was placed at the Northfield Middle School Youth Center to develop an after-school curriculum for middle school students. Nordstrand, along with two of her classmates, implemented and led the programs, ultimately assessing them based on their effectiveness in engaging the students.
Excited for school
“I hoped to prepare a curriculum that got kids excited about coming to school every day and made them feel an integral part of their school's community,” Nordstrand says. “One of my goals was to get students more involved in after-school activities. If we helped prevent kids from going home to their typical TV routine, I would check off this project as a successful endeavor.”
The class demanded creative energy from the St. Olaf students. “One day we played dodgeball and the next was a cooking class, so it was an interesting challenge to continuously innovate better, more exciting activities,” Nordstrand says.
Another student in Gross’ class, Kirsten Petersen '11, was a project mentor for ARTech seniors and saw the site experience as an opportunity to better understand her own vocation and career options. “I am considering becoming a teacher or school counselor someday, so it was helpful to get a better picture from the inside about how a school is run, the expectations for students, and the roles of teachers,” Petersen says.
In addition to achieving personal goals and considering career options, Gross hoped the students developed greater interest in the neighborhood. “I hoped that the students learned more about their community, that they understood where it is that they’re going to school. Before this class, they might not even have known these places existed.”
Community engagement is the core value at the heart of this kind of learning. Jacobi attests to the importance of community service through courses such as Gross’. “Students are often motivated to serve others, so they are motivated by opportunities to apply what they are learning in collaboration with community organizations,” Jacobi says. “Academic civic engagement also fosters in students the skills, knowledge and habits of mind that will serve them in future civic and work roles.”
