Hurricanes and a Pandemic

Hurricanes and a Pandemic: Service-Learning Thrives in Louisiana’s Satellite Center for Career and Technical Education

The National Youth Leadership Council thanks the Brown Foundation for its support of this report on the efficacy of service-learning in career and technical education. Thanks also to the students, teachers, and administrators of the Satellite Center who gave generously of their time in interviews and in designing and laying out this document. This booklet was designed by Carley Dozier ‘21, a student of facilitator Rhitt Growl.

Table of Contents Introduction………..………………………...........................page 1 Satellite Center’s Educational Philosophy……….…....…page 2 Satellite Center’s Approach to Service-Learning…….....page 4 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice…….....page 9 Monitoring Outcomes/Measuring Accomplishments....page 10 Conclusion………………..........................…………….…..page 11

Introduction Just twenty or so miles west of New Orleans, St. Charles Parish is an area known for swamp tours, hurricanes, and the highest number of NFL players per capita. To educators, it is also a hotbed of service-learning. For more than a dozen years, administrators, teachers, and students across a number of area schools have attracted not only national, but also international attention for the work they’ve done to rebuild – hurricane after hurricane. “Hurricanes are who we are over hundreds of years of trials and tribulations,” says Hospitality/Restaurant/Tourism (HRT) teacher Craig Howat. “It requires that educational buzzword: the growth mindset.” Howat is a lead service-learning teacher at one of the district’s epicenters of service-learning: a career and technical education facility called the Satellite Center. High school students from two nearby schools situated on opposite sides of the Mississippi – Destrehan and Hahnville – converge there for a series of programs that are deeply connected not only to the community but also to nearby colleges (where students receive credit) and industry, where students often secure employment. Born out of a desire to prepare young people for careers that are both local and also future-oriented, the Satellite Center was built in 2005, and opened after a six-month delay post-Hurricane Katrina. Located in Luling, Louisiana, the school embodies more than state-of-the-art technology. It is dedicated to “Building a Better You” – as its tagline reads, for high school juniors and seniors. As such, teachers are “facilitators” and students are “team members”, reflecting an ethos of collaboration and youth leadership designed to support graduates as they apply their skills and passions to community needs. “When you have a facilitator/team member relationship, we are adults to them,” says team member Alexis Revere. In a normal year, team members would leave their student status behind for half-days at the Satellite Center – much of which would be spent in the community. This school year, an alternating day schedule allows programs to continue, with students on-site every other day and online otherwise, as the community grapples with more hurricanes than any other year on record – and the global pandemic. In fact, the ability to prepare for and navigate through the challenges of hurricane season after hurricane season may also set these students, teachers and administrators up for managing through a global pandemic. In Advanced T.V. Broadcasting, for example, facilitator Samantha Clement notes that crews have had to be smaller, that sanitizing equipment seems endless, and that sometimes siblings have to stand in as actors. But, her team members’ ability to “function best in chaos” is a highly transferable skill for newsroom environments. “Every time something goes wrong, we brainstorm, problem-solve, work on the fly. The world isn’t perfect! That IS the world,” says facilitator Samantha Clement. With facilitators like Clement, despite learning becoming more virtual, student engagement has continued apace, with many adaptations but few cancellations across most of the programs. “Every time something goes wrong, we brainstorm, problem-solve, work on the fly. The world isn’t perfect! That IS the world,” ~ Facilitator Samantha Clement 1

Satellite Center’s Educational Philosophy “Service-learning permeates the entire culture,” says principal Elaine Fitzgerald. Team members choose from career areas that include hospitality, restaurant, and tourism administration; culinary arts; teaching; instrumentation; digital and interactive media and television; health options, and engineering. Within their broader educational approach of project-based learning, service-learning helps school/community partnerships grow and deepen, so that the Center and its team members are now understood to be true community resources. The context for these service-learning successes is deeply rooted. The school has a 90-hour expectation that students will participate in service-learning. And service-learning supports the range of learner outcomes enumerated on Satellite’s website: a mix of research-based 21st Century and social/emotional skills. These skills include not only content outcomes, but also: • Career Preparation • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Collaboration • Work Ethic • Written Communication • Oral Communication “Service-learning provides those opportunities for students to see themselves in the bigger context,”says Fitzgerald, whether they are streaming a football game for far-flung fans, developing public service announcements to help raise money for the American Cancer Society, building picnic tables for outside dining, supporting younger students’ learning in the district, providing child health screenings, or developing flute shields for neighboring middle schools. Fitzgerald knows that service-learning improves social and emotional learning as well as mental health. As she says, “Honestly, I think students see hope…when they see some of the service outcomes.” 2

Satellite Center’s Educational Philosophy (Continued) The students themselves identify many of these same outcomes when ticking off a list of what they gain from their service-learning experiences: social skills AND technical skills; collaboration; how to “speak out and lead”; adaptability and flexibility; knowing how to “over-deliver” for a client’s positive experience, and on-site problem- solving -- to name a few. Achievement across these domains is measured via a rubric from the New Tech Network, which registers student agency through attitudinal attributes such as: • Uses effort and practice to grow • Seeks challenges • Grows from setbacks • Builds confidence • Finds personal relevance • Meets benchmarks • Seeks feedback • Tackles and monitors learning • Actively participates • Builds relationships • Impacts self and community Howat underscores the importance of this approach in a year of challenges. “Service-learning allows kids to celebrate life,” he says. “We can talk about all the book-learning we want, but service-learning allows people to work with people. There’s celebration in that.” Team member Seth Kenny agrees. “It feels really good to be a part of something bigger than just high school.” Satellite Center’s Approach to Service-Learning As Interactive Media team member Tabitha Toney says, “Everything we do is service-learning. We’re never just analyzing Shakespeare.” Given the prevalence of service-learning at Satellite, an exploration of Satellite’s approach to the service- learning process that guides the youth-led cycle, offers insights. While teachers and students throughout the Center don’t universally refer to their community- based learning as service-learning, most Satellite teaching and learning reflects a process NYLC calls “IPARD”. This is the youth-led experience, following a teacher’s establishment of learning objectives, that features the steps of investigation, planning and preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration of learning. (See diagram on next page.) 3

The Youth-Lead Service-Learning Experience 1.Investigation NYLC’s approach to service-learning begins with So team members apply their own sense of agency. investigation of a community need as a way to After assessing the user’s needs they prototype ensure that no one is making assumptions about possibilities, collaborate on ideas, test and refine community needs without fully understanding the solutions – as with the need for middle school band community context. By starting with investigation, flute shields this fall. “Students have an attitude the cycle of student inquiry begins, ensuring more of ‘Yeah, we can do that,’” says Instrumentation critical thinking skills are engaged at the outset. facilitator Jamie Wilson. While investigation happens in a number of ways A’zealya White, a team member whose design was across programs, the Digital and Interactive Media one of those chosen for the shield, said that she classes at Satellite use a design-thinking approach -- had to interview the band directors to figure out a non-linear process to “understand users, challenge how the flutes are played and which direction the assumptions, redefine problems, and create spit most often goes – “where you need the most innovative solutions to prototype and test” needs protection.” that the community identifies. This investigation phase of the project helped her As Interactive Media facilitator Brian Gough, says, “talk with people and learn to get things done with “We see what the problem is, and design the teach a deadline,” in addition to learning how to identify around what the circumstances require.” a problem and work to solve it. “Often you interview the people, they give you the Fellow team member Jaselyn Guidry noted how infomation, but they really don’t know what they math-based the experience had been: calculating need.” how long the mouthpiece is; how thick the clear sheet should be to block the spit; how to convert inches to centimeters. The outcomes were not only a solution that put band members back playing on the field, but also recognition of how the team members can apply their skills to new and emerging issues. “We see what the problem is, and design the teach around what the circumstances require.” ~ Facilitator Brian Gough 4

2. Preparation and Planning In a year typified by weather and health challenges, digital learning and online platforms have become the norm for the planning required in the service-learning process. As student Lainey Castiglione noted, in Interactive Media they have daily “scrum” meetings that kick off their inter-team collaboration, where they discuss the steps that need to be accomplished every day. Among project management tools, they use SLACK for quick communication (“almost like texting”) and Trelloboard for tracking on specific tasks . These tech tools help team members “celebrate accomplishments along the way,” says Howat. In Howat’s HRT sequence, the investigation begins with an “entry document” which outlines the need and the audience. Team members rely on Google Docs for special events, creating detailed “Know” and “Need to Know” lists. Team member Rachel Short notes, “If we didn’t have COVID-19 going on, we’d have a normal discussion… Now it takes several days to plan AND follow the rules for COVID-19. We have to make sure we get approved by the Parish or the School Board.” This fall, the sequence of planning involved developing Plans A through at least C, as hurricanes altered or destroyed plans entirely. Hurricanes and the pandemic were the font of innovation as a Culinary Arts gumbo fundraiser became a drive-through gumbo fundraiser, and as a Student of the Year event moved from a car hop theme, to an inside event, to an event that was more spread out throughout a building to accommodate social distancing requirements. As team member Short said, “This had a lot to do with being flexible or it won’t work. We have to be able to move through plans smoothly,” – “This is the essence of teamwork,” adds facilitator Howat. 5

3. Action For these impassioned educational facilitators and team members, collaboration on the action of a service-learning project is both internal and external. Rarely does a project involve only one department. As team member Savanna Moran says, “As we’ve grown together, we’ve learned each other’s personalities more… We’ve figured out our differences and our strengths.” For example, since COVID-19 began to affect schools in March, 2020, the Satellite Center has implemented the following service-learning projects, with pandemic-inspired adaptations. Projects Satellite Programs Involved External Partners Outcomes Pandemic Adaptations Flute shields for band Digital Technology Area middle schools Innovative design for The need for the shields members Dow Chemical flute shields emerged out of the Shell Oil Co. 4,000 face shields pandemic. The shields allow Face masks Engineering FEMA band members to practice together without spreading germs. 3D printing done in homes. Pink Links Fundraiser Hospitality, Restaurants & Two rival high schools $11,000 raised for the Drive-through gumbo for the American Cancer Tourism Community members American Cancer Society. fundraiser. Society Culinary Arts Area schools Game Boards developed Streaming football games STAR student teaching Advanced T.V. Broadcasting due to limited attendance Health Screenings Instrumentation Area elementary and middle (@25-50%) allowed. STAR program schools, and students with Fundraising had to move special needs from face-to-face to online, Health Career Exploration Elementary schools primarily social media Medical Assistance Middle Schools Patient Care High Schools Student-developed lesson Lesson plans had to be done All St. Charles Parish School plans. (Second semester for virtual learning Nurses teaching) + student- initiated awareness- raising campaign for Special Olympics Student screenings Postponed one semester completed at no charge. Designing this booklet Digital Media National Youth Leadership Booklet produced for Provided impetus for Advanced T.V. Broadcasting Council other service-learning exploration of adaptations Brown Foundation practitioners and successes of Satellite Center 6

4.Reflection While reflection happens before, during, and after projects in a number of ways across Satellite programs, some of the most sustained reflection projects are the blogs that Angela Lange’s STAR (Students Teaching and Reaching) team members develop based on their observations of full-time teachers. As Rebecca Rodrigue blogged: “We did a project where we had to come up with a lesson and teach it. We then had to go back and revise the lesson plan. Not only did I learn that you need all types of variety for learning, but I learned that the student should be, at points, teaching themselves.” Lange underscores that “Teachers have to be reflective practitioners.” To foster this habit, Lange also has team members offer a “genius hour” based on what they have learned. For team member Alexis Revere, her topic became a persuasive case for teacher pay increases based on what she learned about the common practice of teachers working in the summers in second and third jobs. Another aspect of reflection that is so deeply held at Satellite that it is painted on a building is the Importance of learning from failure. As team member Quincy Hymel sees it, the Satellite attitude is “Get it right the next time.” “Failure is the best teacher,” says HRT team member Mathew Brown. After all, failure is where problem- solving begins, adds team member Jayda Verdin. “I learned that the students should be, at points, teaching themselves.” - Team member Rebecca Rodrigue 7

5. Demonstration Among the Satellite service-learning endeavors completed this fall is one that capitalizes on the football culture rooted in this area. “Pink Links” is an effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society, specifically for breast cancer research. Now in its tenth year, nearly every program at Satellite is involved. The fundraiser culminates at a football game in which the two high schools march carrying their chains of pink links, each representing a dollar donated, onto the football field. This year, team members raised $11,000 despite the ravages of repeated hurricanes and economic devastation of the pandemic. Initiated by the health careers sequences at Satellite: Patient Care, Health Career Exploration, and Medical Assisting, these programs still provide the technical expertise for the event. Facilitator Kristy Smith, who is a graduate of Satellite, not only teaches about COVID-19, but also helps team members learn about interactions with families and the challenges involved with aspects of care — such as language barriers to understanding. Her colleague (formerly her teacher) Denise Robichaux, who facilitates Health Career Exploration, has been a part of Pink Links since its inception when it was much smaller scale. Even during the pandemic, the effort that precedes the game involves the development of public service announcements (by the Advanced T.V. Broadcasting program), the drive-through gumbo fundraiser (by HRT & Culinary Arts), online streaming that enables people around the world to tune in (also through Advanced T.V. Broadcasting), the construction of professional corn hole boards built by the Instrumentation Class and used for a pink link raffle, and competitions between the rival high schools using social media (through Interactive and Digital Media classes). As team member Lainey Castiglione says, “One of the most positive experiences for me is seeing the aftermath of a project…It’s very rewarding to see the outcome of things.” For example, with football games, particularly the one that featured Pink Links, she said it was “crazy” to see the impact on people who couldn’t be there – people tuning in from all over the world, from military bases, even from Indonesia. One grandmother in Nova Scotia wrote to thank Satellite for allowing her to see her grandchildren play football, which had never been a possibility before the live- streaming of the event. Medical Assisting facilitator Shannon Anderson adds: “Service-learning helps round out what team members are learning. They learn a lot of skills, lots of hands-on ways to deal with people, how to get vital signs, and learn about different types of cancer. But being immersed in the community, being able to bring the practicality of what we learn in class and apply it to reach people on a real level, to explain WHY we’re raising money for cancer research – it really makes what they learn make sense.” 8

Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice One way that NYLC assesses the level of service- • Angela Lange’s STAR program, team members learning practiced in these experiences is to root such choose books to read with their students and analysis in the evidence base, the K-12 Service-Learning literacy approaches – while the larger context of Standards for Quality Practice (NYLC, 2008). the need for their involvement in the schools is While the degree to which the term “service- pre-established. In other cases, team members learning” is used at the Satellite Center varies from lead and execute the projects within the course program to program, a review of the standards of a semester or year, using the design thinking reflects the broad-based quality of the site’s work. approach to take the need from initial conception Following are the eight standards, with explanations to implementation of a solution. as to how they are reflected across Satellite’s • Progress Monitoring: Various students noted, during programs. the planning and preparing phase, that digital • Meaningful Service: Because the students’ work platforms allow for progress monitoring, along is deeply rooted in their community and comes with daily “scrum” meetings. As Interactive from community requests, the service is both Media facilitator Brian Gough said, “Now we use authentic and of sufficient duration and intensity analytics to drive what we do” – another valuable (see below) to be meaningful. As Advanced T.V. and transferable skill. Broadcasting team member Logan Sampey said, • Duration and Intensity: Some of the Satellite service- “It doesn’t feel like school. It feels like you’re learning experiences are multi-year projects; making a difference in the world.” Culinary Arts others occur within a semester. In all cases, the facilitator Pat Phelan notes that team members work is not contrived, but is driven by community learn that the root of the culinary experience is need. Team members talked about how, while the service, and that they can carry that aspect of deadlines are real, there is a sense of time that is their experience into addressing other community different within a project – that they have the time needs -- as so many restaurateurs do. to develop and refine their solutions to community • Link to Curriculum: Service-learning is broad-based needs that is different from a unit of study and its and cross-curricular at the Satellite Center – even related quizzes, papers, and tests in their home driving programs that might otherwise be rooted high schools. in industrial needs, such as Instrumentation. In • Diversity: This aspect of the service-learning addition to earning most of a two-year college experiences manifests itself mostly through degree, the Instrumentation students apply their community partnerships. In the STAR program, technical skills to an using array of Satellite the range of abilities in the students taught service-learning needs. Says facilitator Jamie includes students with special needs. Wilson, “We’re the behind-the-scenes people with • Community Partnerships: A vast and diverse set of the tools! You need something built? We’ll help community partnerships undergirds the service- you out!” using the array of technical skills their learning work at Satellite, ranging from local (and curricula dictates. multinational) industry to the school district itself. • Youth Voice: Because a number of the Satellite • Reflection: As noted in the IPARD cycle, students programs are multi-year projects, youth voice at Satellite reflect before, during, and after their happens within the context of each year’s experiences – often using community feedback refinements to the program. For example, in and data-driven analytics to measure their impact. 9

Monitoring Outcomes/ Measuring Accomplishments While the service-learning process provides a platform for realizing so many learning outcomes, it is perhaps most directly connected to Satellite’s “impacts self and community.” Students/team members identified the following list of outcomes from these experiences: • Social skills • Technical skills • Creativity • Teamwork • Collaboration • Integrity • Mutual respect • How to “speak out and lead.” • Adaptability/Flexibility • How to “over-deliver” for a client’s positive experience • On-site problem-solving • Multiple ways to approach a problem • How to be safe during a pandemic and how to be a public health emissary • How to use a variety of social media platforms to communicate (Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, GoogleClassroom) • The “real lives” of a teacher – even what’s on a teacher’s desk! • Nothing is ever certain. • We all learn from community learning. As for what team members would suggest others do when considering service-learning – especially service-learning during a pandemic -- the students offer the following list of best practices: • Communication is everything. • Make yourself as versatile as possible. Everyone needs to know how to do everything – to cover and support each other when needs change on-site and due to the vagaries of weather. • Be professional. Often the experiences will lead to college or career possibilities. • Develop a shared school culture (e.g. learning from failure). • Look for collaboration opportunities. As Advanced T.V. team member Kyreon LaBranch says, “We help one another. Everyone wants to come together as a team.” • Learn to function well in chaos. • Be open-minded. • Bring energy. • Keep a planner. • Keep a master calendar. • Think about the bigger picture. 10

Conclusion While facilitators and team members alike accommodate the vagaries of this year, they have much to celebrate at the Satellite Center, where both parts of the term “service-learning” are equally important. Medical Assisting facilitator Shannon Anderson says that she and her fellow facilitators share the goals of “molding better citizens with better-rounded world views and external senses of themselves.” “I think it really enhances their personal growth,” she adds. “It’s not just about them. They’re part of a bigger picture. They have to please someone else – NOT just their teacher. It’s always better work,” says Anderson. Pat Phelan, culinary arts facilitator, adds: “What I like about service-learning, is that you may have students who don’t really buy into school – or my class. When we started doing these service-learning projects, it changed the kids who aren’t interested in school. It’s all about the growth of these team members.” In terms of student growth, STAR facilitator Angela Lange says that service-learning teaches team members how to “feel compassion”— something that’s nearly impossible to teach without hands-on experience. “Service-learning helps them be aware and concerned and able to ask, ‘How can I help?’” Furthermore, as Interactive Media facilitator Rhitt Growl notes, “The kids are doing professional-level work.” But that’s not where the experience begins, facilitator Shannon Anderson notes. “It is nice to start with students who know nothing about a service project, see them look confused and overwhelmed, fight through challenges, think things out, improvise, think outside the box – especially this year.” Team member Jaselyn Guidry notes that they are demonstrating to their community that “Something good is coming from youth of today.” Much of that good emanates from the Satellite Center. 11