Area 1: Goals:

Linden High School's Learn and Serve America "We're Making A Difference" program began in 1994 through a grant from The Corporation for National Service. Prior to 1994, Linden High had formed a unique partnership with the United Way of Union County, thus creating the county's only "Youth for United Way" organization. Student involvement with the United Way included providing services for United Way-funded agencies. Those services included working with physically and mentally challenged children attending The Cerebral Palsy League of Union County.

Linden High School's community partnership with the Cerebral Palsy League proved to be extremely rewarding for both student populations. In 1994, Linden High collaborated with a nearby school district and received its first Learn and Serve America grant to create a horticulture therapy program for the students attending The Cerebral Palsy League. A weeded unusable backyard area was transformed into a beautiful patio garden with raised planters for wheelchair-bound children. That garden is now the focal point of the Union school campus.

The horticulture program created during the first year of the grant produced 16 bi-weekly student volunteers for 55 special needs children. Today, the "We're Making A Difference " program provides 65 bi-weekly volunteers for four Union County facilities that educate 260 physically and mentally challenged children.

Our community service-learning partnerships now include: The Cerebral Palsy League of Union County, Cranford Campus; The Union County Arc's Kohler pre-school program; The Department of Human Services', Regional Day Training School in Scotch Plains; and the pre-school program for special children at Children's Specialized Hospital in Fanwood. In addition, 80 students now serve as teacher assistants, tutors and mentors for four district elementary schools both during and after the traditional school day.

The program's goals include: assisting students in identifying and developing their roles in society in preparation for participation in their educational, emotional, and social development, promoting service-learning in the school as an authentic learning strategy which links the Core Curriculum Standards to meet intended learning outcomes, and instilling in all students that everyone has value. Core Curriculum Standards include: career training and exposure, decision-making, self-management, health and safety issues, and interdisciplinary learning across the curriculum.

Area 2: Activities:

In the "special needs" "We're Making A Difference" program, approximately 65 students, during the regular school day, provide volunteer assistance from the month of December until May for all out of district partnership schools. These students assist the teaching staff, work individually with children, teach independent living skills, participate in field trips, and help with special holiday celebrations. Students in the program also serve as prom dates for the teens attending the Cerebral Palsy League Prom.

Students serving elementary school children within the district serve as character education and literacy pen-pals, after school homework tutors, and teacher assistants. What is most noteworthy about the "special needs" program is that it extends beyond sending volunteers. Each year academic classrooms become involved to increase student services to meet additional needs. Because a school has no music program, our band and choir members perform for holiday occasions. A cooking class may invite our special friends over for a joint cooking lesson.

Art students produced two large wall murals for our partner schools. The paintings depict children with and without disabilities playing together. For six years, science classes have grown plants during the school year, in anticipation of our yearly outdoor beautification project at Regional Day School. Last year, 83 woodshop students built 6 wheel chair accessible garden planters, along with outdoor benches for two newly established horticulture programs that we helped to create for Regional Day School and The Cerebral Palsy League's Cranford campus.

Through a new Learn and Serve Homeland Security grant, we have committed to partnering with The American Red Cross to train our students in disaster preparedness and to provide 40 hours of training for others. In addition, we have committed to making 200 disaster preparedness kits for the parents of each child attending our partnership "special needs" schools. Further commitment to community partnerships include working with The March of Dimes since 1992.

Over the past 10 years, we have raised over $12,000 for the prevention of birth defects. In addition, our students have served as volunteer workers at the Union County Walksite for the past 8 years. We have received The Mission Triangle Award twice, and we are the only school in the county to have ever hosted the Union County Walk "Kick Off". Last year, 16 teachers participated in our Learn and Serve program and 625 students volunteered approximately a combined total of 6,250 hours of service.

Area 3: Outside Resources:

Outside resources include grants from the Corporation for National Service, horticulture donations from the Linden Home Depot, and human assistance has come from PTA volunteers. Yearly donations of corsages and boutonnieres for "special needs" teens attending the Cerebral Palsy League prom are donated from The Linden House of Flowers. The staff from the Cerebral Palsy League has provided training and the ROTC parent group will assist with the making of the disaster preparedness kits. The United Way provides publicity and recognition awards for the student volunteers on a yearly basis.

Area 4: Evaluation:

Throughout the years, the program has always used a variety of assessment measures to monitor the success of the program. Assessment materials include: pre and post surveys, journal writing, output materials, oral reflection, and written self-evaluations. In a pre-survey, 90% of the student participants expressed a desire to learn responsibility, patience, and to experience working with people who are different. Upon completion of the year, 100% of the volunteers stated that they felt that they had achieved this goal. All of the staff participants found that student participants had exhibited personal, social and emotional growth.

Teacher support and participation is an integral part of the program and numbers show that 75% of the staff indicated that they would be interested in working with colleagues on an interdisciplinary service-learning project. Final data revealed that 94% of the staff believe that service-learning is a meaningful approach in the field of education and should be a required part of the curriculum.

Area 5: Stability:

The "We're Making A Difference" program has sustained itself since 1994. Periodically, grant funds have helped to sustain the program. However, when the program was not funded by grants, the superintendent and school board continued their total support of the program through district funds. In addition, the school has had a part-time service-learning coordinator since 1998. A service-learning board is in place and community partners, teachers, supervisors, and student leaders are represented on this board.

Area 6: Endorsements:

Major stakeholders include the New Jersey Commission for Community and National Service, the Linden school community, and all of our community partners. We have received recognition awards, both on the state, and national level. We are the only urban National Service-Learning Leader Public High School in the state of New Jersey. Yet, we are a symbol of what any other urban school can achieve if given the proper support. The United Way highlights our model program when attempting to recruit additional high school volunteers.

Henry Kita, Board President of the United Way, has stated, "The students at Linden High School serve as shining examples for their strong community spirit."

Former Cerebral Palsy League principal, Phil Sidotti, stated at the conclusion of the prom, "If the Learn and Serve students are an example of what the future youth are to be, then the world is in good hands."

Former student volunteer and Rutgers graduate, Justyna Lesniak, responded to the program by stating, "Even though I went to the CPL to help the children, they seemed to help me more."

Ken Brucato, Principal of the CPL, recently stated, "Through all the years, we have come to depend on you and your regular visits to enhance our program and bring something very special into the lives of our students--friendship."

Finally, Debbie Early, senior pre-school teacher at Children's Hospital, recently commented, "The ten-year relationship that I have pursued with Learn and Serve is representational of its significant impact on both the volunteers and our students."