Service Learning
Past/Ongoing Projects
Community Partners
Serv. Learning Courses
Spring '06
Spring '05
Spring '04
Fall '04
Fall '03
Serv. Learning Tools
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Spring '05 Service Learning Courses
277 Students
3,965 Hours
33 Community Partners
14 Faculty
17 Classes
CHE 1022 General Chemistry II, Susan Sutheimer
Students 11 SL Hours # Required 6 per student, Total Hours: 66
Community Partners 1-Poultney Historical Society
Students visited the Poultney Historical Society’s Melodeon Factory Museum and each chose the names of several medicines from a mid nineteenth century pharmaceutical kit. Students then researched their medicines and filled out a form describing the use and characteristics of each. On a return trip they investigated medical artifacts from the same period and helped to design a display for the Vermont History Expo in June. Several students have volunteered to complete the display. For reflection we discussed the benefits of this type of project for learning chemistry.
Rec 1041 Outdoor Living Skills, Tom Stuessy
Section 1-Students 9, Section 2, Students 9 SL Hours # Required 4 hour section 1, and 2 hours section 2. Total Hours: 54
Community Partner, Fair Haven School
The Outdoor Living Skills course will be employing Service Learning by hosting "outdoor skills workshops" for the Poultney elementary school 5th and 6th graders. Also, there is a possibility that we may host the high school kids for a day of ice climbing. For reflection, the students in the class will have an opportunity to discover how to set up learning situations as well as how to change teaching styles as per learning styles in the outdoor environment.
Psy 3013 Abnormal Psychology, Joan C. Mulligan
Students 13 SL Hours # Required 3 per student. Total hours: 39
Community partners: 3– Dismas House, 47 Main Street & Rutland County Women’s Network and Shelter.
The students will be getting tours, interviewing staff and in some cases helping with projects: some will cook at the Dismas house, some will help prepare a meal at 47 main street or participate in a group meeting or walk with the residents. At Serenity House one group ended up cleaning out an old barn to prepare for construction of a work out area for residents. The students make arrangements with the community partner and respond to whatever need the placement has at the time. For reflection students will share their experiences orally and also write a reflective paper.
ENV 3004/SUS 3003 Building Sustainable Communities, Jacob Park
Students 15 SL Hours Required 8-10 Total Hours 120-150 Community Partners 6: Rutland Regional Planning Commission, Nature Conservancy, West Haven Office's Native Plant Nursery Project, the town of Poultney, GMC.s GreenMap program, the GMC campus student group, YES.
The class will feature several service learning projects with community partners and students will be asked to choose one to work with throughout the semester, with a paper/presentation of their project given at the end of the semester. Students will be exposed to readings, lectures, and guest speakers on a wide range of community development issues in addition to working on the Service Learning project.
CMJ 3003 Newspaper Publishing, Ron Steffens
Students 14 SL Hours # Required 20 Total Hours:280 Community Partner 1
Students will publish a college newspaper for a diverse community of readers. Student teams may also select to apply these publishing skills to off-campus and digital media projects. Community Partner: The Mountaineer newspaper and other community publishing venues. Reflection will be on going throughout the course.
ELA 1500 Sections 02 and 03 Voices of Community, Ron Steffens
Students 20 SL Hours # Required 8, Total Hours: 160 Community Partners 3
Students will explore the process of community by drafting and publishing a writing project based on a service-learning experience. The writing project will be selected based on a service-learning experience that explores the student's academic and community goals. Students will be encouraged to develop their writing project into a web page or website that supports the community partner. Reflection will be on going throughout the course.
ECO 3025 Introduction To Ecological Design and Economics, Steven E. Letendre, Ph.D.
Students 22, SL Hours # Required (varied). Total SL Hours 468
In this course, students will engage in a semester long service learning project to design a prototype ecologically sustainable dorm building for Green Mountain College. Students will apply basic ecological design principles to a building that could serve as a residence hall for the College. Students will investigate the energy performance, sustainable materials, heating options, and spatial design to promote community cooperation among potential residents. This project is in service to the College, as plans are underway to design and build a new dorm at the College. Ultimately, students will present their final design to the College's administration.
ELA 1500 10 and ELA 1500 11Voices of Community, Eleanor Tison (Spring 2005)
Sec. 10-Students 19, SL Hours # Required 2, Sec.11 Students 11, SL Hours # Required 2 Total Hours: 60
Partner: Poultney Historical Society Oral History Project, Poultney High School
Selected students in this 2nd semester ELA core writing course will develop research paper topics related to the local community’s recent history and incorporate at least one oral history interview with an older resident of the Poultney area into their research. Those interviews that are recorded will be added to the archives of the Poultney Historical Society Oral History Project. There will be possible collaboration with Poultney High School students on these community interviews.
ENV 2011 Public Policy & The Environment, Rebecca Purdom
Students 28 Number of SL Hours per student 25 Total # of SL Hours 700
Community Partner 1: GMC
The public policy students, using available data, drafted an invasive species management policy for the college. Students used two different reflection methods- a project specific learning goals analysis, and a self group work process and product assessment tool.
ELA 2014 Law and Society, Rebecca Purdom
Students 12 Number of Hours per student 16, Total number of SL Hours 192
Community Partner- 1, Vermont Court Administrator’s office (Karen Gennette, Drug Court Coordinator)
Working from the model Drug Court, students provided a practical, constitutional and philosophical education of the proposed (and highly controversial) “Women’s Court” for the Vermont Court Administrator’s office. Reflection includes a final memo for the UCA, individualized reflective papers on product and skill development, and significant classroom discussion with instructor and community partners.
EDU 2012 Environmental Education: Interpretation, Teresa Coker
Students 10, SL Hours # Required 20 per student. Total Hours: 200
Community Partners- 4, Poultney Historical Society, Rutland County Forester, Poultney – Mettowee Watershed, GIS Class- John Van Hoesen.
The class will create a historical walking tour brochure of East Poultney for the Poultney Historical Society. We will create environmental interpretative signs on the Poultney Educational Nature Trail for the Mettowee Watershed Partnership, and we will assist Nate Fice in providing educational programming for children at the Maple Fest Event on GMC’s campus in March. Students will be required to write a reflection including what they personally contributed to each project and what they learned from being involved in each.
ENV 2010 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, John G. Van Hoesen
Students 11, SL Hours # Required 39 per student,Total Hours: 429 Community Partner 2
Van Hoesen required students in the Intro to GIS course to choose one of the preceding service-learning projects:
1) To create a digital database (library) for slate mines within the Slate Valley. 2) To create posters depicting a variety of maps illustrating the spatial and temporal development of the slate industry in this region. 3) To work with Teresa Coker here at GMC, developing interpretive maps of the Poultney Trail System. Students are required to maintain a journal throughout the duration of the course; at the end of the semester they will have to turn these journals in, in addition to filling out a 15-20 questions reflective questionnaire.
BIO 3025 Forest Ecology and Management, Jim Graves
Students, 20 SL Hours # Required 5-6, Total Hours:116
Names of Community Partners: Green Mountain College, and Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (Marli Rupe)
For its Service Learning project in spring 2005, the Forest Ecology and Management (BIO 3025) class applied management recommendations written by Undergraduate Research Assistant Pearl Wetherall for control of Garlic Mustard on campus. Invasive exotic species are now one of the top concerns for forest ecologists, foresters, and other land managers. With its project, the class served the Green Mountain College community by demonstrating an effective hand-pulling method for Garlic Mustard control, clearing the campus of Garlic Mustard plants (year one of a multi-year plan), and making recommendations for management of 20 other invasive species present on campus or in the region. Members of the class also served school children in the area by conducting workshops on control of invasive species at Enivonmental Expo, an annual environmental education event organized by Poultney-Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District. Students reflected on the Service Learning project in papers and class discussion that focused on applying our field experience and their literature research to recommend how the college should manage other invasive species.
REC 1032 Leadership & Group Dynamics, Thayer Raines
Students: 19; Number of Hours of service required for each student: 20, Total Hours: 380
Number of Community Partners: 4; Name of Community Partner/s: Poultney Elementary, The Mentors Program, Girl Scouts of America, Poultney High School
Leadership Experience 1: In groups of 4-6, students develop an intramural activity for Green Mountain College students these were a Learn to Ski/Ride Program, Kayak Water Polo Night, and Extreme Dodge Ball.[Thayer Raines] Students complete a paper describing all aspects of the program plan. Papers were presented formally to the class and feedback was provided from the instructor and from peers.
Leadership Experience 2: In groups of 4-6, students develop a recreation activity for a Community Partner. These include an Adventure Hike for the Girl Scouts, a learn to kayak for the High School, a ropes course experience for the Elementary School, and a Olympiad for the Mentor Program.[Thayer Raines] Students complete a paper describing all aspects of the program plan. Papers were presented formally to the class and feedback was provided from the instructor and from peers.
Leadership Experience 3: Provide assistance for the Triathlon.[Thayer Raines] Students reflected on the experience as a group discussion. Specific experience gains were identified and reviewed.
HIS 1022, U.S. History since 1877, Patricia Moore
Students 16, Hours per student 20 Total Hours: 320
Community partners: 2; Poultney Historical Society & Stonebridge
The intent of the project was "to investigate whether Poultney, Vermont experienced trends and themes in the United States from the 1880s-1910s similarly or dissimilarly to the rest of the nation." The students identified about twenty themes from the text. Moore isolated relevant sources (Sanborn maps, Poultney Journal, historic photos of Poultney at the public library, census enumerators manuscripts for Poultney, the Vermont historic homes register, and a business guide to Rutland County), and students looked for evidence that supported or challenged the themes. The following themes appeared on the posters:
Rise in the standard of living;
Increase in the number of unions;
Increased mechanization;
Increase in the number and size of corporations;
Increase in immigration (both numbers and the variety of countries);
Increase in women working outside the home;
Information collected will be presented at Stonebridge Opening, May 1st and 2nd.
ELA 1013, Environmental Science, Natalie Coe
Students: 18 #Hours SL per student: 19.5 Total # of SL Hours: 351
Number of Community Partners: 4; Name of Community Partner/s: The Nature Conservancy (Paul Vidovich, Mary Droege),The Poulney-Mettowee Watershed (Marli Rupe, Hillary), Cerridwen Farm (Tim Hughes-Muse), The Green Mountain Club (Matt), Poultney Nature Trail (Scott MacLachlan)
Each student will complete a 15-hour PBSL project with the support of a community partner and myself as well as participate in two class community projects (at Cerridwen Farm and with TNC). Each student (or pair of students) will present a poster on Earth Day to share their experience/accomplishments with others in the GMC community. All students will write a two page “debrief” on the overall experience that will allow him/her to reflect on the original goal, experience, and outcomes and in what context (if any) they plan to continue this type of service to our community.
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