Danvers Public Schools
Community Service-Learning
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The following projects have been implemented in the district and can serve as models for future projects.
The Greenscape Garden
Community Partners: Danvers Garden Club, Danvers Electric, Danvers Public Works, Salem Sound Coastwatch
School: Holten-Richmond Middle School, Grade 6, Read Team
Teacher: Science Teacher, John Hodsdon
The greenscape garden is a project which involves current and former sixth graders from the Read team, Town of Danvers employees including Jack Schmitgal and Pam Irwin, the Salem Sound Coastwatch (principally Barbara Warren), the Danvers Garden Club (mainly Sue and John Nickerson), and the school maintenance staff.
The idea was to help to fulfill the green school grant for the Holten-Richmond Middle School by helping to greenscape the grounds. Mr. Hodsdon’s students first learned about greenscaping from doing research and by having Jack Schmitgal, Pam Irwin, and Barbara Warren speak to them. Students then researched the plants that fulfill the requirements of a greenscape, and each class designed and mapped out a section of the garden. Each student filled out a sheet telling about their plant, and the information was used in placing the plants in the correct location in the garden based on height, bloom time, bloom color, and spread. Students planted the garden with the help of the garden club. They also designed a brochure about the garden that was published by Pam Irwin and the Town of Danvers. Finally, they produced a PowerPoint presentation to share information about their project. Return to project list
Salt Marsh Science Project
Community Partners: Audubon Society
School: Holten-Richmond Middle School, Grade 6, Read Team
Teacher: Science Teacher, John Hodsdon
The Salt Marsh Science project is a collaboration between The Read Team Students and the Audubon Society. The project is involved in monitoring the invasive species phragmites and monitoring the effect of tidal restriction on the distribution of marine organisms in the Danvers Salt Marsh.
We traveled to the salt marsh behind the Sylvania plant in Danvers. When there we measured the height of the plant phragmites along a transect and compared it to the salinty of the soil it was growing in. This is part of one of the longest ecological monitoring programs in the country and our data is actually used by the Audubon Society as part of the study. We also use minnow traps to monitor the distribution of species on both sides of tidal restriction. In particular we are looking mummichogs, a type of salt marsh fish species.
A team of students then created a powerpoint and presented it at a salt marsh conference in front of an auditorium full of scientists and other students. Return to project list
Glen Magna
Community Partners: Danvers Historical Society
School: Danvers High School, Grades 11 and 12
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
Glen Magna is a beautiful historic property which belongs to the Danvers Historical Society. The grounds are open to the public, and the house is often used for functions. A group of students worked with the Glen Magna grounds restoration manager to restore and maintain the grounds to benefit the public. The students planted flowers, cleaned out the greenhouse, and maintained the lawns. They also used their television production skills to create a before and after video. Return to project list
Highlands Garden Composting Project
Community Partners: Town of Danvers’ Recycling Coordinator, Highlands Elementary School
School: Danvers High School
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
Working in connection the Town of Danvers’ Recycling Coordinator, high school students in the Community Service-Learning elective learned that too many things are thrown away that are recyclable or biodegradable. As a result, they decided to implement a composting project to educate elementary school students about alternatives to waste management. They researched the process of composting and created a compost garden at the Highlands Elementary School with donations from local farms. To teach the fourth graders about composting, the high school students showed a video and created posters explaining which materials could be put into the compost bins.Return to project list
Operation Troop Support
Community Partners: Operation Troop Support
School: Danvers High School, Grades 11 and 12
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
A perennial favorite, many groups of students have elected to develop projects in connection with Operation Troop Support. Each year, high school students in the Community Service-Learning elective work with elementary school teachers in the district to help children write letters to the troops. Sometimes the high school students teach mini-lessons on letter writing, and at other times, they serve as classroom aides to assist children in the writing process. Students have assisted the organization in other ways as well, such as by raising funds to send care packages to the troops, by organizing a donations drive, and by creating informational brochures and posters to convey Operation Troop Support’s mission to the public. Return to project list
Historic Window Display at Page House
Community Partners: Danvers Historical Society
School: Danvers High School
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
Page House is a property owned by the Danvers Historical Society which is open to the public. A student in the Community Service-Learning elective created an historically accurate display to provide visitors with information about one of the home’s residents, Ann Page. The student conducted research about Page’s life in the local library, searched the closets at the Page House for artifacts, and searched local thrift stores to find clothing and other items that were similar to what Page wore in her lifetime. To highlight Ann Page’s commitment to education, the student created a classroom scene which included a dressed mannequin and a summary of Page’s life. Return to project list
Luau for Spectrum Adult Day Program
Community Partners: Endicott Park
School: Danvers High School
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
To encourage social interactions among Alzheimer’s patients, family, friends, and staff at the Spectrum Adult Day Health Center, high school students in the Community Service-Learning elective raised money for and organized a dance at the center. The students researched information about Hawaii to create an authentic Hawaiian Luau. They created decorations and posters and encouraged Hawaiian dancing. Return to project list
Cakes for Caring
Community Partners: Cakes for Occasions
School: Danvers High School, Grades 11 and 12
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
Junior and senior students participating in a Community Service-Learning elective partnered with a local business, Cakes for Occasions, to create monthly fundraisers for various charities. The business called the project Cakes for Caring, and each month students designed a cupcake that was sold for $2.50. One dollar of the proceeds from each cupcake was donated to the charity of the month. The students worked collaboratively with the Director of Marketing, Lynne Sheley, to research different charities and then to design a window display and a cupcake for each charity. Some of the charities that students helped were the Endicott Park Playground in memory of Shyianne Thornell (a four-year-old girl who passed away from Eastern Equine Encephalitis), the YMCA (which sends an underprivileged child to summer camp), and the Doug Flutie Foundation (which help families with autistic children). Return to project list
Eliminating Graffiti Project
Community Partners: School resource officer from the Danvers Police Department
School: Danvers High School
Teacher: Community Service-Learning Instructor, Jackie White
In collaboration with a school resource officer, a high school student in the Community Service-Learning elective developed this project to teach middle school students about the consequences of graffiti and the negative impact on the community, such as the devaluation of property. The student researched the local laws and criminal consequences for drawing graffiti on public property. He located various places in town that have graffiti and took pictures to document the street addresses for the police department. Using these pictures and the information he had learned about the laws and the consequences of graffiti, the student created an informative tri-fold brochure for the Danvers Police Department to use with middle school students. Return to project list
Think Globally, Act Locally Project
Community Partners: Peace Corps Volunteer
School: Holten-Richmond Middle School
Teacher: Sixth grade English Language Arts teacher, Ellyn Feerick
In their English Language Arts class, sixth graders learned aboutglobal issues such as environmental degradation, international health, poverty, and education, and the disparities of wealth and consumption worldwide and selected an issue to address. Following a presentation by a current Peace Corps Volunteer working in Narena, Mali, students organized a three-on-three basketball tournament to raise funds to provide a village school with student supplies and teaching training. In addition, the sixth graders conducted research on their "ecological footprint,” creating final products such as letters to the editor, brochures, or children's books. A number of these products were distributed to the public library and local elementary schools to educate others about environmental sustainability. Return to project list