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A high school career of participating in service-learning projects has garnered a national honor for Nick Metrakos, a senior at Blythewood High School in Columbia, S.C. Metrakos received a Spirit of Service award from the Corporation for National and Community Service during the recent National Youth Leadership Council’s National Service-Learning Conference in Minneapolis.
In congratulating Metrakos, David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, commented, “Nick Metrakos not only gives of his own time and talents, he also leads and inspires other students and educators in his community and beyond to tackle some of America’s toughest social problems.”
Metrakos serves as co-chair of the Richland School District Two Youth Action Council, a student-run council that promotes youth-directed civic engagement through a service-learning framework. Under his guidance, the council is assisting seven impoverished rural South Carolina school districts in the development of service-learning projects as a means of keeping students engaged in school while strengthening their own communities. He also works with students in other schools to help students develop service-learning councils and to recruit student leaders for the district-wide council.
Metrakos got his first taste of service-learning in a social studies class during his freshman year. The class researched the local impact of federal judicial and legislative decisions around desegregation of public schools in America. Students examined local history through archived documents, school board policy, news articles, and interviews with long-time residents of the community. They summarized their work in a paper, “In the Balance,” that was presented at a public forum that included the participation of numerous elected officials and dignitaries.
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for more than 2 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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