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Grade 3 students delivered smiles, a song and handmade valentines to the elderly on February 14, 2008.
Students pose with shoeboxes of toys collected for children in developing nations. The children are wearing poppies and dressed formally to support the school’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
Koni Macdonald
"Living to Learn, Learning to Live," a project of Griffin Park School, in Brooks, is the recipient of this year’s Award of Excellence—an honour bestowed annually by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) as part of its School–Community Public Relations Awards program.
Two years ago, staff at Griffin Park School adopted the motto "Living to Learn, Learning to Live" to enhance the school’s mission to instill the virtues of lifelong learning and help students be respectful and caring members of society.
Students volunteer at the local food bank, create Valentine’s Day cards for residents in nursing homes and supported living homes, decorate liquor bags with "Don’t Drink and Drive" messages at Christmas, participate in community clean-up days, deliver handmade cards to long-term care patients at the local hospital, decorate placemats and shopping bags for local grocery stores and restaurants, participate in a "Pink Day" to stop bullying and stand up for universal inclusion, raise money for charities, sponsor families in need at Christmas, report school activities on a local radio station, and host a community picnic.
Mark Crozier, principal of Griffin Park School, says staff and students at the school are thrilled about the award. "Recognition like this helps keep up the enthusiasm. Community involvement isn’t really new to Griffin Park School," Crozier adds. "For example, the school has been donating canned goods to the local food bank for many years. The difference this year is that some of our Grade 6 students now actually volunteer at the food bank, too. We’re trying to be creative about how we link community involvement with character education."
One example of the way the school gets its messages out creatively is when students read the school news on the local radio station every week. As part of the news broadcast, the students discuss their virtue and character education theme for the week and read a quote that demonstrates the virtue addressed.
Staff at the school look for ways to add consistency to the messages they teach. The school has just partnered with five organizations to put together a volunteer trade show in the gym during parent–teacher interviews. "Our goal is to expose students and parents to the many volunteer opportunities in the community that will help our students become well-rounded caring citizens," Crozier says.
Students and parents explore local community volunteer opportunities at Griffin Park’s first ever volunteer expo.
Judges said that the project was noteworthy, commenting: "What an impressive project! At Griffin Park School students are learning the value of giving to others both inside and outside of school time." "It is obvious why such initiatives are an integral part of students’ lives—the teachers and staff are committed to such learning. Students and society are the beneficiaries."
In addition to bestowing the Award of Excellence, the judges awarded Gibbons School an Award of Merit.
The School–Community Public Relations Awards competition is sponsored annually by the ATA. Entry information is sent to schools in the fall each year and posted on the Association’s website (www.teachers.ab.ca).
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