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Kids Who Care

Spotlight on:

Woodstown High School
Woodstown, NJ

Grades 9—12




Woodstown High School students care about:

Keeping all students happy and healthy

Woodstown, a historic borough of some 3,000 residents that is hidden in northeastern Salem County, is a place where everybody knows each other. Chris Snyder, the assistant principal of Woodstown High School, commented that the small size of the town and the high school has left them both with “a big heart.”

“Every student is an individual here, and we really try to tailor our programs to support our kids emotionally and socially." 

One service-learning program that supports kids emotionally and socially is “Peer Leadership,” an elective course available to seniors who are interested in helping ease a first-year student’s transition to the high school.  The course was an outgrowth of a dialogue with the upperclassmen about the difficulties they faced during the period of adjustment.  The Peer Leaders underwent a structured training period in order to learn the skills needed to serve as mentors for first-year students for the entire school year, helping them cope with personal or academic issues. The freshmen profited from the close bond with an upperclassman; the Peer Leaders themselves developed leadership and communication skills as they demonstrated core values such as responsibility, empathy and respect for others. Some participants saw the experience as mini-training for their chosen field of teaching because they had to create lesson plans and conduct independent research on teaching strategies.  What is interesting about this service-learning initiative is that both the givers and recipients profited equally from the experience. Academically, the school has also made gains. Since the inception of Peer Leadership, freshman grades have improved, and discipline referrals have decreased.

“Students Teaching Students” worked not only in Peer Leadership; it also was the core of the second service-learning project, “Infectious Disease Awareness Program,” in which biology students taught third graders. The project originated when the biology classes learned about different viruses and bacteria, and the teacher had the students working with partners to create posters and PowerPoint presentations about bacterial and viral infectious diseases to raise community awareness.  The students, however, decided to go one step farther by putting their show on the road. Working in groups, the students created a larger presentation on ways to prevent the spread of infectious disease (e.g. proper hand washing, keeping various surfaces sanitary, proper food handling and preparation, vaccinations, and medicines).  The students then presented this information, enriched with many colorful visuals, in an interactive session with third graders. The reflections of the presenters showed that the experience was highly beneficial to them. In addition to expressing feelings of pride and satisfaction in their work, many said teaching the material caused them to learn it better. A third grader’s response to the lesson was succinct but powerful: “WOW.”


 

Get these lesson plans:
  • “Peer Leadership”

    Core Ethical Values addressed:      Responsibility, respect, citizenship, leadership

    Curriculum Connections:      Language Arts; Technology; Consumer, Family, & Life Skills

  • “Infectious Disease Awareness Program”

    Core Ethical Values addressed:  Cooperation, caring, responsibility

    Curriculum Connections:  Science; Visual Arts; Health Ed.; Language Arts