Service-Learning in My Own Backyard: Earth Force Students in Action

July 15, 2009 - How cool is this? After spending a hard day at work working with so many talented people to promote service-learning nationwide, I just found out that service-learning is literally taking place in my own backyard.

Check out this article to learn more about the middle school students who were honored for the using their education to make a difference for the Holmes Run watershed in Alexandria, Virginia. These students participated in Earth Force as part of their 7th grade science classes.

My building overlooks Holmes Run. As condo dwellers, Holmes Run Park is my pseudo front lawn. It's where my neighbors cookout and garden and where my five year old and I play football in the fall, blow bubbles in the summer, and make snow angels in the winter. Until I read about the work of these middle schoolers, I never knew it played such an important role in the environmental health of our community.

So hats off to Ms. Bort's 7th grade students at Hammond Middle School from someone who believes in the power of service-learning to improve education and communities--and from a grateful neighbor of the Holmes Run watershed.