Scholars News Desk
College Park Scholars Announces its 10th Annual Service Day
August 12, 2005
College Park, MD - A throng of wide-eyed University of Maryland freshmen, each in a charcoal gray t-shirt emblazoned with the signature College Park Scholars sunspot, will disperse throughout Prince George's County, Montgomery County and the greater Washington metropolitan area, to deliver over 2,500 hours of community service on Monday, August 29th. Nine hundred incoming freshmen will team up with approximately 25 local schools, parks and community-based organizations to work on projects designed by neighboring communities.
To recognize the day's 10th anniversary, Citations by the State of Maryland's Governor's Office and House of Delegates will be presented at the event's opening, in the Comcast Center, at 9 a.m. Invited to present the proclamation to the University are representatives from Governor Robert L. Ehrlich's office, and State Delegate Justin D. Ross, a former College Park Scholar himself.
College Park Scholars is an innovative, two-year living and learning community for academically talented first- and second-year students. According to Executive Director, Dr. Greig Stewart, "In an era when our youth are perceived as being less civically engaged, Service Day is an opportunity for our students to exercise their commitment to others and connect with the people and services of the greater metropolitan Washington area."
Service Day underscores College Park Scholars commitment to active learning and civic engagement. Two of the key missions of College Park Scholars are (1) to integrate the curricular with the co-curricular, and (2) to integrate the campus with the community. Service-learning is a natural outgrowth of these goals.
Students participating in Service Day will partner with organizations such as the Adelphi-Langley Park Family Support Center, Mt. Rainier Elementary School, City of Takoma Park, Joe's Movement Emporium, College Park Aviation Museum, The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and Patuxent River Park. (A more detailed list appears at the end of this announcement.)
Though Service Day is a one-time effort, it encourages students to participate in ongoing service opportunities while at the University of Maryland. One example of this continuing mission is Lakeland Stars, an after-school tutoring program coordinated by College Park Scholars, together with the City of College Park. Lakeland STARS serves school children enrolled in Paint Branch Elementary School.
Students engaging in structured and meaningful service-learning projects benefit in a variety of ways, according to Martha Baer-Wilmes, College Park Scholars' Associate Director for Student Affairs. "Service-learning is where students make the connections between their classroom learning and the needs and opportunities in our communities," said Wilmes.
As a result of the service-learning efforts headlined by Service Day, College Park Scholars has been able to cultivate long-term relationships with several of the organizations for whom the program has performed service. Service Day gives College Park Scholars students, faculty, and staff a unique opportunity to establish their learning communities for the coming year, even as the program is able to give time and talent to those in our local community who do so much to help others each and every day.
List of College Park Scholars Service Day '05 Sites, as of August 23, 2005: http://www.scholars.umd.edu/serviceday/
