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Kids Who Care

Spotlight on:

Gloucester County Institute of Technology
Sewell, NJ

Grades 9-12




Gloucester County Institute of Technology students care about:

The safety of others and acceptance of people with disabilities

Vocational schools by their very nature connect the curriculum to life; they have the facilities and the community connections to design and implement innovative service-learning initiatives. Such a project was “Responsibility behind the Wheel,” conducted by Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s law enforcement classes in conjunction with the New Jersey State Police. Al Jordan, law enforcement instructor and the school’s service-learning coordinator, spent many years protecting the safety of others as an FBI agent. It was not surprising then the service-learning project that students chose under his aegis focused on the responsibility of the teen driver to the safety of others. The goal of the project was to conduct research into the cause of traffic accidents during a one-month period that coincided with the end of the school year and to present those findings to the entire student body as a deterrent to speeding or driving under the influence.

 

The law enforcement classes conducted statistical research on the causes of traffic accidents. Coordinating their work with the state police, the students analyzed traffic accidents that occurred over a five-county area over a one-month period. The students determined the percentage of accidents that were due to drivers who were speeding or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The findings were organized into an oral presentation, and the law enforcement students held an assembly for the rest of the school. The goal was to promote more responsible driving among an age group that often falls victim to traffic accidents. The statistical evidence provided by peers had a visible impact upon the other students at the assembly; the presenters, in turn, were impressed in discovering that they could have such an effect on behavior by researching and presenting a topic.

In a different vein but also one that dealt with the fair treatment of others was “Disabilities: Understanding and Educating,” a unit in which GCIT students in English classes worked with students at a regional school for disabilities. The first step in the plan was that each student “adopt” a disabled student, and write letters to the new “buddy.” Next, the GCIT students created fables that educated their buddies on a pillar of character education. At the same time, the English students were researching the disability of their individual buddies to foster empathy for their needs. The meeting of the students with their buddies was emotionally charged, with each gaining much from the exchange. In written reflections and discussions, the English students revealed how they had changed their outlook on people with disabilities. The new little buddies showed immense gratitude for finding a new friend!


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