Eighth Graders Learn as They Go

In true GUS fashion, an impromptu stop to pick blueberries at a farm by the side of the road became a teachable moment during the first Florida service trip for eighth graders this spring. For just a half hour in the blistering heat of the day, the boys and girls filled their buckets. Annie Barton, eighth grade trip coordinator, then reminded the students that migrant workers pick from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, for just a dollar a pound, earning an income far below the poverty level.

That’s true experiential learning.

About half the eighth graders chose the week-long Florida trip this year while the other half went to the Dominican Republic. “My goal in designing and setting up the service week trip to Florida was to create an experience that would be as attractive and enriching as the trip to the DR,” explains Barton. “We were able to encompass some of the same experiences as the DR trip, such as working with children, and having the opportunity to see kids from a radically different socioeconomic background. The other attraction was that the trip provided hands-on environmental experiences. The trip gave the students views of both immigration and environmental issues — two hot button topics.”

After extensive research, Barton chose Appleseed Expeditions to organize the school trip with her. With their help, the students were able to engage in a variety of educational and service activities

focused on immigrant families, ecology, and conservation. During their day at a low-income housing development, students landscaped, hauled gravel, and cleaned the community center. Staff from Volunteers of America, who led the activity, spoke to students about the importance of housing as the foundation that socioeconomically disadvantaged families need in order to thrive and help strengthen their communities. One of the residents expressed to the students how nice it was to live in a place that looked beautiful, what a difference it made to her, and how grateful she was for their hard work.

Another day, the students went swimming with manatees and kayaking to learn about the challenges and threats to the sea mammals and to the ecology. There, they picked up Lyngbya, an invasive blue-green algae similar to the purple loosestrife in New England, and learned about One Rake at a Time, an organization that encourages individuals to make a difference by committing to remove the damaging invader. Barton hopes to partner with One Rake at a Time for next year’s trip.

At Crystal River Archeological State Park, students learned about the history of the park, but, additionally the importance of discovering the kind of work they each want to do as volunteers. “My goal for the GUS community service program,” Barton explains, “is that there are all sorts of ways to volunteer — you can work in museums, parks, with children, inside, outside. If they take one little kernel away

— I want it to be that there are all different ways to give back. My overarching goal for service week is that students will come away with an appreciation of the value of volunteerism and an understanding that volunteers are the lifeblood of all non-profit organizations, and that there are many kinds of volunteer jobs and ways to volunteer. I want them to see that there are organizations that need help that run the gamut from the arts to the environment and from homelessness to education.”

The eighth graders described their days working at a daycare center for children of migrant workers as “heart warming, bittersweet, fun filled, eye opening, energizing, humbling, and rewarding,” according to their chaperones. GUS students spent a morning cleaning the center and helping out in classrooms, and entertained the children with a few songs from their upcoming musical, Annie, Jr. In the afternoon, the GUS eighth graders helped the older daycare students with homework.

Each night, tired from hours of work and activity, students and adults came together to reflect on their day. “We would ask, what was your high and what was your surprise of the day?” Barton explains. “Then, we would expand on what someone said.” One of the guides from Appleseed also asked them to

consider, “What was a life lesson of the day? Where is an area you’ve been challenged by this trip? How did you or how can you overcome this? What are you grateful for today?” Although they were weary, these questions ignited the students and they all participated, according to Barton. They wanted to put

into words what these experiences meant to them. Of course. That’s GUS.

Barton hopes to expand the Florida service trip next year. She was pleased and surprised with how engaged the students were with the education aspect of the trip, including learning about the history of the First Americans in the region. Next year may include more history of the area as well as ever more service opportunities. Barton is already talking with Appleseed Expeditions about fine tuning the plans for 2020.