Who is creating service learning projects here at Cathedral?

English:
Mrs. Browning's 10X English students approached Indiana Humanities with an idea to supplement their Novel Conversations.  Novel Conversations provides a list of book available to loan book clubs or groups for reading.  The Cathedral students felt that the list, while extensive, lacked an element available in a bookstore: a book jacket explaining the book.  So the students, after meeting with Dr. Nancy Conner from Indiana Humanities, read some of the selections and wrote brief blurbs highlighting the books.  In addition, the students also addressed some of the themes in the book and how they related to the overall them of Novel Conversations: The Spirit of Competition.

In Our Village, a class devoted to writing and service learning, completed its first cycle in 2011 with the publication of the first volume of In Our Village.  The students, mimicing the original In Our Village book produced about a rural school in Tanzania and published by What Kids Can Do, focused on what important aspects of Cathedral make the school what she is.  Proceeds from the four-color book benefit the Awet Secondary School in Kimbi ya Simba, Tanzania and the Cathedral High School Student Assistance Fund.  Additionally, students, teachers, and parents visited the Tanzania and the Awet school in June, 2011.  The next class will be offered in Fall, 2012.

Writing can make a difference.  Mrs. Reynolds' composition class was searching for a service learning project.  When they approached the Service Learning Council, the Council suggested they tackle the issue of styrofoam cups in the cafeteria.  The students researched the problem, created a series of flyers indicating there were other, more environmentally friendly alternatives.  The spring the Service Learning Council, armed with the flyers from comp. class, approached Mr. Ed Sahm with the Cathedral cafeteria and Mr. Dave Worland, principal.  They embraced the concept, and with the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, styrofoam cups will be obsolete.  Students will be allowed to fill their own beverage bottles from the soda dispenser.

Latin:
Mrs. Jenny Pearson's Latin classes annually undertake a look at the architecture of downtown Indianapolis.  In partnership with the Indiana Historical Landmarks Society, the students created a variety of PowerPoints which the Society downloads on their Web site to explain the significance of the architecture.  The students won the 2011 Indiana Historical Landmark Society Award for contribution to service.