Service Learning Opportunities for PHS Students Offered This Summer

Piedmont students entering 9th through 12th grade are invited to take part in the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies and Community Engagement (AISCE) service learning program this summer.

faculty members facilitate small group meetings designed to nurture students' critical thinking skills and cultivate empathy towards others.

A variety of disciplines are part of the program. Although no classroom credit is given for the program, students participating are eligible to receive up to 45 hours of community service per session.

The program is based at Piedmont High School, but the community service component of the program is spread out around the East Bay.

Organizers of AISCE say the program allows students to be mentored by Piedmont High School faculty without the pressure of grades and homework and allows them to explore the world beyond, but nearby, Piedmont.

For incoming ninth grade students the program allows them to learn their way around campus and develop friendships before school begins in the Fall.

The 2012 program will be broken into three sections. Each class meets three days each week for a total of 15 hours per week. The first session will be held from June 18 through July 6, the second from July 9 through 27 and the third from July 30 through August 17. The cost of each session is $550.

To help maintain small class size, space is limited, so early registration is recommended. A course that does not reach minimum enrollment may need to be cancelled but organizers will work with students to find an alternate option. For families requesting it, financial assistance is available.

To learn more about the program go here , to register go here.

Here is a synopsis of some of the programs being offered this summer:

Inclusive Communities

Student volunteers will work as coaches in recreational settings for the E-Soccer program in Piedmont as well as at Together We Can, a free recreation program run by the Oakland Unified School district in West Oakland. They will explore different approaches to working with children with a variety of needs, including how new and innovative technologies are being developed for use in these settings.

Classroom and hands-on learning will include training to work with the participating players, developing communication skills and conflict resolution techniques. and facilitating the social, emotional and athletic development of the children on the field and playground. The program is designed to hone leadership, deepen awareness and develop empathy in students.

To Have and Have Not: Understanding Urban-Suburban Disparity

Using both Piedmont High School and Together We Can in West Oakland as their “classrooms,” students will explore issues of equity and difference between the two. The personal experience of working and playing with urban youth will be considered as we discuss articles, watch film clips and listen to excerpts from radio shows to consider the educational achievement gap, health disparities, issues of crime and violence, and immigration. Time will be divided between Piedmont High School and the TWC program. The ultimate goal of the session is for students to come away with a sense of how they can serve their community and how serving their community can help them by widening their perspective and deepening their compassion and tolerance.

Our World of Food

From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the Iron Chef, food has captured the American imagination. Students will practice the basics of cooking a gourmet meal while learning about where our food comes from and the issues surrounding food insufficiency. There will be field trips to local farms, restaurants, food banks and soup kitchens. This is a hands-on, service learning session 

Oakland: From Boomtown to Bust and Back Again

Exploring the complex issues in the East Bay community, students will examine how economic disparity affects neighborhoods and how community involvement works to create social and economic equity. The socio-economic history of Oakland and the causes and consequences of its dramatic economic shifts will be examined through literature, film, guest speakers and Socratic discussion. Students will consider the philosophy that true understanding of inequity is necessary to exact meaningful change. Time will be divided between Piedmont High School and the Together We Can Youth Center in West Oakland.