RVHS seniors to help the community
COSHOCTON – Several seniors in River View High School’s Class of 2017 are being challenged to take what they’ve learned in school and use it to help the community.
“We do a really good job of teaching academics, but we found there was a disconnect in the kids taking what they’ve learned and applying it in the community,” said Chuck Rinkes, principal at RVHS. “It all kind of started with a long conversation I had with a River View graduate who had graduated from Wooster. One thing she said she wish she would have had more of from us was experience in the community.”
River View also found that some students were missing out on scholarship opportunities because they didn’t do a senior project in high school, but that will no longer be true.
The school launched its senior project program by requiring college prep English students to do one, but welcoming other members of the class of 2017 to participate.
“We have 50 doing it and I would say over half of them volunteered to do it,” said Cindy Hemming. She retired from the school last year, but came back part time to be the senior project coordinator, community service letter monitor and scholarship chair.
The seniors have to have their project decided upon by Oct. 31 and have been encouraged to base it on something they are interested in or a problem in the community they would like to solve.
Hemming said one student decided to recycle old furniture by turning it into dog beds that will be donated to the Humane Society. Another is working with the Army to send monthly care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan. The son-in-law of a teacher who is a dentist in Zanesville is helping a student interested in becoming a dental hygienist work on a project to educate kindergarteners on brushing their teeth. Some students also are doing projects that will benefit the school like a training video for office aids that will be used by the office staff next year.
“The majority of them had ideas of what they wanted to do,” Hemming said. “We just needed to fine tune them a little.”
Once the students have their project submitted to Hemming, they must then complete 10 hours per month working with a mentor from the community, keep a portfolio log and meet with Hemming once a month. In May the students will give presentations on their projects in front of a three person panel. While they will not be graded on the project, they will receive credit for completing it and be honored during a special program at the end of the year where academic letters and community service letters also will be handed out.
“There will be a gallery of their work set up that night,” Rinkes said. “It will be set up like a science fair night.”
Hemming is still looking for community members that might be interesting in being a mentor for a student’s project. For more information, e-mail her at cindy.hemming@rvbears.org or go online to http://www.river-view.k12.oh.us/1/Content2/42.
“Our goal is to eventually have every senior do a senior project,” Rinkes said.
Category: Education
