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Nashville, Tenn. -- Outstanding service-learning leaders were honored last night with Spirit of Service Awards at the National Service Learning Conference.
The awards were presented by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the country’s largest supporter of service-learning through its Learn and Serve America program. The Spirit of Service Awards pay tribute to the most outstanding participants in the Corporation’s Learn and Serve America, AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps programs.
“We know that students who become involved in their communities through organized service-learning activities experience a range of benefits, from improved academic achievement to the development of a lifelong ethic of civic involvement,” said Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation. “We congratulate these awardees for their leadership and dedication to service-learning. By shining a spotlight on these service-learning leaders, we hope to inspire more schools and universities to embrace this powerful and proven teaching method.”
The awardees are:
 Student: Adam Handy, a senior at Belfry High School in Pike County, Kentucky, who serves as president of the Pike County Youth Leadership Council. Under his leadership, the council has addressed numerous issues, including convincing the City of Pikeville to make all public areas smoke-free, in recognition of Kentucky’s status as leading all states in deaths from tobacco use. |
 Educator: Dawn Davis, an English Language Learner teacher at Moriarty Elementary School in Norwich, Connecticut, who established a school-community garden that supplies fresh vegetables to local charities and food pantries while offering lessons in sciences, health and nutrition, math and measurement skills. |
 Program: The second grade class at Pittsburgh Elementary School, Pittsburg, Texas, who have established and supported scholarships, made public service announcements, and spoken to groups of up to 500 people on numerous education issues. The second graders prove that it is never too early to start serving. |
The accomplishments of the awardees were highlighted in a six-minute video, produced with the support of State Farm Insurance. “We are delighted to honor these service-learning leaders, who demonstrate every day that service-learning is making a difference in communities across our country,” said Kathy Payne, senior director of Education and Leadership at State Farm Insurance.
The National Service Learning Conference, sponsored annually by the National Youth Leadership Council, is the largest gathering of youth and practitioners involved in service-learning, drawing thousands of attendees from across the United States and many other counties each year.
The Corporation’s Learn and Serve America program is a catalyst for service-learning programs nationwide that connect community service with academic curriculum. Through these programs, in class and in extracurricular activities, students serve others in their communities while strengthening their academic and civic skills. In addition, service-learning fosters partnerships between schools and their communities that strengthens communities and meets immediate community needs.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation engages four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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