Amy Biehl High School • What is Service Learning?

What is Service Learning?

In 1999, two public school teachers in Albuquerque started a charter high school with a dual mission of scholarship and service.  They believed that every student, regardless of learning ability or socio-economic status had the right to a college education, and that each student should also participate in community service projects that relate to their college studies.  Because the school’s mission so closely matched the principles by which Amy lived her life, she was a perfect namesake for a high school with the motto: “Courage, Scholarship, and Community.” The Service Learning Program at Amy Biehl High School provides a variety of opportunities for students to engage with and learn from the community around them. Project Week Project week brings students together with a community mentor around a shared interest.  Students will gain skills in communication, work with outside mentors and begin to understand the needs of their community.  Some of our service partners are Roots and Shoots, United Blood Services, Project Linus, National Hispanic Cultural Center Dia de los Muertos, Roadrunner Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House, Rio Grande Community Farm, and NM Forum for Youth in Community.                      Spanish for Heritage Speakers This is a year long class in which, in addition to pursuing a Spanish III Curriculum, students partner with a 3rd grade bilingual class from Dolores Gonzales Elementary supporting literacy and math.   The class will develop a service curriculum emphasizing action research around the immigrant experience, local traditions, letter writing, book-making, and youth mentorship. MLK Day—Make it a Day On...Not a Day Off! During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals.  As a preferred method of teaching the values of Martin Luther King, Amy Biehl High School students and staff spend MLK Day working in their community and celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Service through Advisory Advisory is a key component in  providing information, direction and experiences in both the road to college and service.  At the beginning of the year advisories decide on a service project that they will engage in during the school year.  Some of the projects include serving lunch at a shelter, working in a food pantry, holding fundraisers and drives for a variety of organizations, and working in the library. Senior Project The senior project is a 100-hour service learning project that serves as a capstone and culmination for the school’s mission of service. The goal is to have students develop a project in which they can explore a passion while serving the community and tackling a community need, problem or issue. Students often work at downtown agencies and organizations. Each student works closely with a mentor, and this mentorship is a critical aspect of the program. While successful senior projects render enormous rewards for students, especially in terms of employability and professional skills, it is our hope that graduates will begin a lifetime of community service, whether that is expressed in career choices or volunteer work. In keeping with the namesake of the school, we refer to this aspect of our mission as graduating “conscious scholars” who are both well-educated and committed to active citizenship.

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