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Service Learning |
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Mt. Scott Learning Centers strives to connect students with their local communities. Our goal is to foster a During the course of the year, students have engaged in a variety of service projects. In the future, students will continue to expand their service projects within their local community. Our program will allow for additional opportunities to mentor youth, engage senior citizens in our program, address environmental issues, and explore yet undetermined needs within our community. At Mt. Scott High School, student groups have participated in regular service projects. Below is a sampling of our current and previous service project partners. Mt. Scott works in cooperation with The Friends of Oaks Bottom, a volunteer organization of interested citizens working in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation for the promotion, preservation, and management of Oaks Bottom. This area is a birdwatcher's paradise. Hawks, quail, pintails, mallards, coots, woodpeckers, kestrels, and widgeons are just the start of the list of birds that one might encounter in Oaks Bottom. The star of the show, though, is the Great blue heron, the official bird of the City of Portland. Oaks Bottom is one of the favorite places of a score of these impressive birds because of its proximity to one of the rookeries on Ross Island. __________________________________________________________________________
Each time they attend this service project, students talk excitedly on their way home, exchanging stories that they have told. Several students have been inspired to explore new career options, read new books and examine current events. Fairlawn staff and residents regularly express their appreciation for the Mt. Scott students and even refer to them as “their grandkids.” _________________________________________________________________________ Loaves and Fishes Loaves and Fishes, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing daily meals for senior citizens, has provided Mt. Scott with wonderful service learning opportunity. Loaves and Fishes has several community locations all open to senior citizens to socialize, eat lunch and connect with local resources.
Mt. Scott has also connected with another component of the organization called IRCO (Immigration and Refugee Community Organization), which works to promote the integration or refugees, immigrants and the community at large into a self sufficient, healthy and inclusive multi-ethnic society. Located in NE Portland, the IRCO community center focuses on providing wrap around services for refugee and immigrants new to our community. Mt. Scott students again get to work directly with the community members and work hard with the staff to prepare, serve and clean up lunch. __________________________________________________________________________ Marquis Care at Mt. Tabor Mt. Scott students work directly with the residents, reading them the newspaper, playing cards, or simply just engaging in conversations. The residents, many of whom rarely receive visitors, are thrilled to have young people visiting them on a regular basis. The service learning partnership has also had a significant impact on Mt. Scott students, who are learning the various challenges of the elderly.
__________________________________________________________________________ A group of Mt. Scott students provide regular monthly service at The Rebuilding Center, the nation's largest non-profit reuse center for salvaged construction and remodeling materials. Founded by volunteers in 1998, The ReBuilding Center has become a recognized leader in Oregon and the world for diverting waste for reuse and recycling in a Student volunteers assist the center in many ways, including carrying donated building materials into the warehouse, sorting materials (trim, lumber, electrical supplies, lighting), sweeping, measuring doors and helping in the administrative office. As a non-profit organization, The Rebuilding Center relies heavily on volunteers, and the center's staff regularly comment about the help of the Mt. Scott students. "Thank you (Mt. Scott students) so much for your continued efforts in the warehouse," writes a Rebulding Center representative. "Your consistent hard work and commitment really are a huge asset to our very big operation. It is so inspiring to see a group so willing to serve their community." Mt. Scott Learning Centers have joined the growing list of organizations supporting and benefitting from Free Geek, the popular Portland non-profit organization that recycles used technology.
Free Geek was founded in 2000 to recycle computer technology and provide low and no-cost computing to individuals and not-for-profit and social change organizations in the community and throughout the world. In the eight years since its formation, Free Geek has recycled over 1,500 tons of electronic scrap and refurbished over 15,000 computer systems that are now in use by individuals and organizations in the community. At Free Geek, Mt. Scott students are working primarily in the recycling department, disassembling computers and small electronics and separating the materials for recycling. Many students are participating in the adoption program, which allows the students to earn a free computer after 24 hours of volunteering. Students in this service group travel to NW Portland to work with Store to Door. Store to Door is a non-profit agency devoted to facilitating independent living for seniors and people living with disabilities. The agency provides a low-cost, personalized grocery shopping and delivery service.
Additionally, Mt. Scott students in this service group volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank, a non-profit agency that collects and distributes food to families in need throughout the state. Students sort and pack food into boxes that are distributed to soup kitchens and hunger centers across Oregon. __________________________________________________________________________ Mt. Scott Learning Centers is committed to fostering civic responsibility and engagement by its students. Service learning assists students with reflection around career choices while also reminding students of the importance of service to one’s community. Mt. Scott is opportunistically nestled in the community of Southeast Foster and Powell. We have an Projects in this service learning opportunity will vary throughout the year in accordance with the local business association’s needs, community needs, and school needs. Typically, projects may include litter removal of surrounding parks, manual labor for businesses, and general cleaning of public spaces. We will also be performing landscaping at the school, trash removal and washing down public spaces. Students should be prepared for outdoor work as we learn more about the community, network with local business, and reflect the great spirit of Mt Scott Learning Centers. __________________________________________________________________________ Multnomah Park Pioneer Cemetery Mt. Scott Learning Centers' commitment to community service filled a big need at one of Multnomah County's historic cemeteries.
Founded in 1994, Community Cycling Center broadens access to bicycling and its benefits through hands-on programs, volunteer projects, and a neighborhood bike shop. Mt. Scott students volunteered at CCC cleaning and repairing bicycles. Each December, Community Cycling Center provides 500 young children with their first bicycles, new helmets, and basic safety education. The Holiday Bike Drive is designed to benefit children from low-income families. A Mt. Scott student service project group during the 2009-10 school year worked hard to help maintain a unique urban park. Named after a species of native sunflower, Beggars-tick Wildlife Refuge is a 20-acre seasonal wetland (located just off the Springwater Corridor Trail) that offers a variety of animal and plant life. The park's natural diversity makes each visit a completely different experience in different seasons.
During the rainy winter months, water covered the lowlands of the refuge, transforming it into a lush wetland. It quickly became a home for a variety of wintering birds. As water receded under sunny skies, the refuge was transformed again. The ground beneath your feet (which had been either muddy or flooded) turned dry and springy, and the diversity of wildlife and native plant species became apparent. Biodiversity is in action at this site and Mt. Scott students and staff worked to protect it. They learning about the plants, animals, and other life forms, witnessing the changes in the ecosystem, removing invasive species, planting native species, and generally helping keep the refuge beautiful.
SMART is Oregon's leading volunteer program dedicated to early literacy. It is a book and reading program for kindergarten through third grade children who are at risk of low literacy and its associated negative outcomes. Each SMART volunteer read with two children for a half-hour each, one hour a week during the school year. SMART also gives participating students two new books each month to take home, keep and read with their families. __________________________________________________________________________ |
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Our service learning projects allow students to apply their academic skills in addressing real world challenges. The link between classroom education and its application to solving problems becomes evident through service projects. Key elements of effective service learning programs include needs assessment, meaningful service, structured reflection, celebration and recognition, and evaluation.
variety of academic skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication and teamwork in an integrated setting.
A group of Mt. Scott students are involved in a year-long series of service projects to help preserve a natural wetland in the heart of Portland. The students are participating in trail maintenance, amphibian monitoring, and invasive plant removal at 
Each month a group of students travel to
able to learn about the world and cultures around them through the lens of past generations. 
Mt. Scott students work directly with the staff and community members to serve lunch and socialize with the senior citizens. Some days the students play bingo or exercise with the patrons of the community center. On other days, students provide table service to allow the senior citizens to relax with their friends and enjoy their lunch.
Beginning in the fall, students were introduced to the farm, its mission and the generous and knowledgeable volunteers. From there, students worked together to facilitate the destruction of a sunflower field in order to support the planting of a new crop, coached a classroom of five-year-olds as they moved the corraled chicken coop, and wheel barrowed pounds of pepper discards to their new home in the compost bins. Students got a real taste of life on the farm around Thanksgiving when it was turkey-weighing time. Students worked with one another to tag turkeys, weigh them and finally set them free for their final meal before the big day. Amidst all of the activities, students have the opportunity to get to know the inner workings of the farm, each other, and a little bit more about themselves.
way that maximizes the social, environmental, and economic benefits to the community. The ReBuilding Center currently diverts 8 tons of reusable building materials from landfills each day (almost 6 million pounds annually). 
A group of Mt. Scott High School students and staff volunteer one day monthly at Free Geek to support the organization's mission of providing computers, education, Internet access and job skills training to those in need. 
Store to Door volunteers make contact with elderly clients, take weekly food and prescription orders, and then shop for and deliver these orders to the clients' homes. The service not only provides the much-needed grocery service, but also provides weekly social and health check-ins for these often isolated clients. Store to Door is well connected with community resources that provide elderly support, and regularly connects its clients to Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services. 
opportunity to be a service to the community and to the businesses that are striving to support the neighborhood’s local economy. 
Multnomah Park Pioneer Cemetery, one of several historic cemeteries supervised by 
Mt. Scott High School students volunteered at 
Mt. Scott students' work at Beggars-tick also differed from month to month and was guided by professional biologists and rangers from Metro. Metro staff provided all the gear to keep students and staff dry, safe, informed, and having a good time while they worked. 
For several years, Mt. Scott students participated in the Start Making A Reader Today (SMART) program at Whitman Elementary in SE Portland.