The Council Bluffs Community School District wants every college-bound student to have the support they need. They encourage students to pursue scholarships and provide resources through the “Opportunities” Google Classroom for AL, which offers information on scholarships, camps, colleges, contests, and more. However, this is only one part of how students gain support for a post-secondary education. Many scholarships require volunteer hours and/or activities. Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson High School Students would greatly benefit from additional school-sponsored volunteer opportunities.
Essentially, students would be able to choose from 5 volunteer opportunities each semester. Some may have careers based on demand and need, but the idea would be to give the students a wide range of experiences. The activities would function like a club or homework help, specifically. Funded through the 21st Century grants, a teacher sponsor would be paid to oversee the kids and log who attends. In the fall, the students could sign up for as many of the activities as they wanted, with 10 in total.
Examples of volunteering activities could be:
- Midlands Humane Society
- Local Shelters
- Council Bluffs Library
- Pottawattamie Arts and Cultural Entertainment Center
- Trash cleanups
- Lake Manawa clean-ups and activities
- Veterans Centers
- Daycares
- Religious Centers
- Assisted Living Centers
The volunteering opportunities could be sorted into the class that the project most closely matches. Working at the library could count for English, and picking up trash could be a PE credit. If the student fulfills a certain number of hours within a volunteering category, it would count as an additional credit or two credits of a core/elective class. While this is certainly different than what is currently offered in the district, linking volunteer service to education would be beneficial for the community and students alike.
This extra support from the schools given to the students would further the district’s goal of every student being adequately prepared for their plans after high school. It would give them more experience interacting with their community, helping them find new interests and passions. Volunteering is viewed as extremely important to many scholarships and schools, the district needs to recognize and support that.
