Appeal Tribune Wednesday, March 22, 2017 3B
CANYON VIEWS
Spring break learning: Focus on giving, doing
DAN WEST
This school year, Ore-
gon has seen more than its
share of snow days. For
many students, spring
break is a welcome
change of pace in the
weather, and they’re look-
ing forward to spending time with fam-
ily and friends. However, parents should
consider ways to keep their students in-
volved in learning even when away from
school.
While spring break offers a time out
from the regular classroom routine, edu-
cation can continue in different forms.
Two major education themes to consider
this spring break are learning through
giving and learning through doing.
One of the latest education trends
that’s catching on in recent years is
called “service learning.” It’s a great
time of year to be of service to others, es-
pecially since April is National Volun-
teer Appreciation Month.
The National Youth Leadership Coun-
cil defines service learning as an “ap-
proach to teaching and learning in which
students use academic knowledge and
skills to address genuine community
needs.” It’s win-win because students
gain important skills and experience
working with members of the communi-
ty while also enhancing the common
good. The keystone to service learning is
volunteerism.
Encouraging students to volunteer
boosts self-esteem and creates a sense of
belonging, in addition to building impor-
tant qualities such as compassion and the
value of giving for its own sake. This is
also a healthy habit. According to a study
by United Healthcare, 94 percent of peo-
ple experienced an improved mood, and
78 percent had less stress—all as a result
of giving back.
Parents should ask their children
about their interests and passions, which
will help guide children in choosing what
kinds of volunteer projects they would
like to pursue. Parents can also be good
role models by demonstrating how they
participate in certain charitable causes.
There are many ways students can
engage in service learning through vol-
unteerism, from visiting a nursing home
to walking in a local fundraiser. Here are
a few ideas for volunteer activities (as
well as websites to check out) that chil-
dren can try alone or in a group with fam-
ily and friends.
Help the Humane Society
Children often love helping animals,
and local humane societies are usually
looking for volunteers. Check out your
local organization for a number of pro-
grams geared towards students interest-
ed in assisting with dogs, cats and other
critters – anything from socializing ani-
mals for potential adopters to becoming
an animal advocate.
Food Bank
Hands-on activities like sorting food
gives students a more personal volun-
teer experience and an appreciation of
food insecurity. Last year, volunteers
contributed over 180,000 hours (equal to
96 full time positions) at the 21 regional
food banks which make up the Oregon
Food
Bank’s
statewide
network
(www.oregonfoodbank.org).
Light, a national volunteer organization
with projects across the country, also of-
fers a youth division, GenerationOn
www.generationon.org full of great vol-
unteer suggestions for kids of all ages.
Finally, consider fun websites like
www.randomactsofkindness.org, where
children can learn important lessons
from even the smallest acts of kindness.
Whether it’s holding the door open for
someone or leaving a thank you note on
the windshield of a veteran’s car, these
websites can inspire your student to
reach out and improve their community.
In addition to spring break learning
by “giving”, another way parents can
maintain learning over spring break is to
ensure students are “doing” plenty of
fun and educational activities. Look for
opportunities to weave educational
themes into spring break plans. Here are
just a few suggestions:
Learning on the road
Pitch in for Mother Nature
Perhaps there is a local park or
stream cleanup project students can vol-
unteer with through their local parks de-
partment. Or, check out one of the best-
known resources for environmental
community activities in Oregon --
SOLVE (www.solveoregon.org). Many
SOLVE events are going on this spring,
including Global Youth Service Day,
April 21-22, offering a long list of envi-
ronmental service-learning ideas. The
group is also gearing up for Earth Day on
April 22.
National Honor Society
Most school districts in Oregon have a
National Honor Society (NHS) program,
which usually includes a strong empha-
sis on giving back to the community
through volunteer service. I am honored
to be the advisor for Oregon Connections
Academy’s NHS chapter. Even though
our NHS students attend a virtual public
charter school, they plan and participate
in a number of community service pro-
jects, including a few activities coming
up next month.
Other volunteerism opportunities
The Oregon Commission for Volun-
tary
Action
and
Service
(www.oregonvolunteers.org)
offers a diverse list of volunteer ac-
tivities for the whole family. Points of
When families are traveling, there
are lessons to be had just about every-
where they go. Ask students to research
the destination ahead of time so they can
learn history, culture, geography and
much more. Check out the Oregon Tour-
ism
Commission’s
website
www.traveloregon.com for some great
spring break vacation suggestions.
Fun around the house
How about this for a social studies les-
son? Ask students to create a time cap-
sule for 2017, picking objects to include
that represent current events. Be sure to
use a waterproof and airtight container
if you plan to bury the capsule in the
backyard. Another fun idea is a scaven-
ger hunt for kids using educational clues
based on math or science. For younger
students, have them look for things like
five red rocks, three yellow leaves and
one penny.
Health and fitness
Have students track the family’s food
consumption and physical activity
throughout the week, keeping a log to
track how well everyone meets the rec-
ommended daily levels for each age
group. Learning to eat right and exercise
is good for the whole family, and kids will
enjoy telling grown-ups how they mea-
sured up. The President’s Council on Fit-
ness, Sports and Nutrition lists some
good guidelines for the family chart.
Outdoor activities
There are many learning experiences
in the great outdoors this time of year.
With the changing seasons, it’s a good
time to teach children about plant life, or
do some bird watching. Show students
how to get their hands dirty by starting a
spring garden in the back yard or plant
seeds in a few pots on the porch and ex-
plain the best conditions for sprouting.
Finally, I wouldn’t be a responsible
educator if I didn’t mention the impor-
tance of doing a little “spring cleaning”
on a student’s school work. Before spring
break begins parents should check in
with teachers to see if their students
have any catching up to do. Are the stu-
dents behind on a class project, or do
they need a make-up test?
Perhaps this week could be used as a
time to sharpen some skills the instruc-
tor feels the student needs to master be-
fore the end of the school year. Parents
should ask teachers if there are specific
assignments that need work over spring
break.
School vacations are supposed to be
enjoyable and asking a child to study
during spring break isn’t fun for anyone.
However, if parents block out study time
and stick to a plan it will minimize ten-
sion.
If a student stays on track, parents
should offer praise and small rewards.
Once classes resume your student will
be ready to move forward.
So this spring break, let’s take a dif-
ferent approach. First, let’s give some-
one else a break by encouraging our stu-
dents to give back to the community and
they’ll probably learn a lot in the proc-
ess.
Second, look for those teachable mo-
ments whether families are learning on
the go for spring break or taking a stay-
cation, it’s good to keep brains active
when children are out of school. And last,
but not least, parents are the best teach-
ers of all because they’re building mem-
ories together and helping students
learn skills they will carry with them the
rest of their life.
Dan West of Eugene is a high-school
social studies teacher and National Hon-
or Society advisor with Oregon Connec-
tions Academy. He can be reached
through the academy at 503-897-2272
(800)
382-6010
or
by
visiting
www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com.
Silverton High principal leaving at end of school year
CHRISTENA BROOKS
SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE
Justin Lieuallen’s first year at Silver-
ton High School will also be his last. He’s
resigning from the principal’s job at the
end of the school year, just 12 months af-
ter being hired away from McNary High
School in Keizer.
Lieuallen didn’t share a reason for his
departure with the Silver Falls School
Board, which accepted his resignation at
its March 13 board meeting. He also de-
clined to comment to the Silverton Ap-
peal.
“Mr. Lieuallen’s decision to resign is a
very personal and thoughtful one,” said
Supt. Andy Bellando. “He brought a
wealth of experiences and influence to
SHS during his short time with us. I wish
him my best as he moves on in his ca-
reer.”
At Silverton High, Lieuallen super-
vises three assistant principals, over-
sees the high school’s teaching staff and
leads a student body of more than 1,200
students. An Oregon native, he lives in
Amity.
Before coming to Silverton, he spent
13 years working at McNary, where he
was most recently an assistant principal.
While being considered for his current
job last spring, he was also the runner-up
for the head principal’s job at Newberg
High School.