Community Project Virtual Showcase
Silver Spring International Middle School
Middle Years Programme
8th Grade Community Project
Names: Elizabeth Shanefelter and Colette Lebleu
Coach: Mr. Love
My Topic
For our community project, we chose to focus on the SSIMS community.
We focused on the need for more art and decoration in our community, specifically the media center.
Guiding Question
Criterion A (i): define a highly challenging goal to address a need within a community, based on personal interests
Guiding Question:
How can I create a positive impact/change for SSIMS by creating artwork with a message that promotes reading?
My project connects to the Global Context personal and cultural expression because it is a painting expressing an appreciation for reading, which will hopefully spread to others who see it. It’s an expression of our goals and ideals which we hope to spread.
Criterion A- Evidence
Criterion A (i): define a highly challenging goal to address a need within a community, based on personal interests
Proposal for Action
Criterion B (i): develop a proposal for action to serve the need in the community
Criterion B : Evidence
Criterion B (ii): plan and record the development process of the project
Criterion B (iii): demonstrate self-management skills
Communication & Social Skills
Criterion C (iii) demonstrate communication and social skills
In order to stay in contact, we frequently emailed and texted one another, as well as occasionally meeting up in person (since we’re neighbors).
We handled the obstacles we faced well, through collaboration and communication.
We didn’t meet with our coach often, though we emailed each other with updates as necessary.
Since our project was for the SSIMS community, we didn’t really interact with organizations outside of MCPS.
Taking Action!
criterion C (i) demonstrate service as action as a result of the project
Thinking Skills
Criterion C (ii) demonstrate thinking skills
criterion D (i) evaluate the quality of the service as action against the proposal
We had to evaluate evidence and arguments when we were looking for references for possible paintings we could do, and looking through the school’s rules for hanging things in the media center.
We actually haven’t finished completing our action, but we have not changed the plan, nor will we have to. I think we have answered our guiding question.
Reflection
Criterion D (ii): reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of service learning
While working on the project wwe learned about the different interests of people in our community, and what could be the best way to unite them.
Community service is important because a large part of what makes a community a community is that everyone is willing to contribute. By helping make my community a better place, I am strengthening it.
I think our project has been successful, as every step in our proposal for action has been successfully executed so far.
Approaches to Learning Skills Reflection
Criterion D (iii): reflect on their development of ATL skills
Completing the community project has helped us self-manage better because setting up such a big project basically on our own was a new experience, and definitely an educational one.
Completing the community project has helped us with our thinking skills because of how frequently we were asked questions that forced us to step back and contemplate what our plans were, often in a new light.
While completing the community project, we had to communicate frequently, and it was essential we were clear with one another, which very much helped out communication and social skills.
This community project helped develop our reflection skills because our planning required lots of reflection in order to make it as clear and easy to follow as possible.