Our last story about service-learning in the Waterloo schools shows how passionate students at George Washington Carver Academy can be when they set their mind to something! The creativity and development of these students is so evident in the ways this project was formed.

This series of stories about service-learning in the Waterloo schools demonstrate a deeper and more developed understanding of what impact looks like in our community. It is not about "doing good" just because it's good, but it's learning about the community we live in and truly opening our minds to the real impact individuals in our community face. One major highlight of these service-learning projects was the fact that these students took time to LEARN first about their community then ACT from their understanding! They were intentional in the way they learned about our community and even more deliberate in the way they took action!

An eighth grade class at George Washington Carver Academy was very concerned with racism. They explored the topic by reading about it, and also by listening to guest speakers on the topic! They then put together a PowerPoint presentation on racism and the effects of it. They also wrote letters to the editor, and conducted a survey of their fellow students on the topic. When the project first begun, the students felt powerless to do anything about racism in our society. They were angry about it, but did not have any focus on a positive approach to racism. The project helped clarify that they could educate others and become advocates for the elimination of racism in our society!