SPECIAL
PROGRAMS
Civic and Personal Development
| Former Secretary-General
of the United Nations Kofi Annan said "No one is born a good
citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes
that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included
from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs
its lifeline." Newark Community High School recognizes the
importance of civic pride and responsibility and with that in mind
has developed the following initiatives that will foster these values
and ideals along with developing student leadership. |
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"Celebrating
Newark Throughout The Ages Mural" -
Advanced Studio and Sociology students have recently completed a
collaborative service-learning project; a large-scale mural that
depicts significant events, people, and landmarks of Newark. At
the end of this semester project, artists experienced a well-deserved
sense of accomplishment through this collaborative work they created
for the community as the community came together to celebrate the
art students’ success. A second unveiling will be scheduled
at a later date when the mural will be exhibited and displayed permanently
in the community. View
the mural web site here (opens in a new window) |
| "Pride
in Newark" - NCHS Sociology students organized and digitally
archived documents and preserved and created an appreciation of
local artifacts, buildings, and people. The goal of this project
was to build a sense of community and respect for the town's past.
Among the projects this year were "Landfill Awareness", "Newark
Past & Present", "Memories of World War II Veterans", "Basketball
Through the Years", and "Celebrating Newark Throughout the Ages
Mural". This is an ongoing project. View
additional images here |
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"Science
Extravaganza" - To awaken in elementary students a curiosity
for science, high school students researched, created, and demonstrated
scientific concepts with hands-on experimentation through the use
of numerous interactive science demonstrations and exhibits. High
School students worked collaboratively to present to audiences of
elementary and junior high students, faculty, staff, and community
members. Project timeline- ongoing throughout the school year with
the "extravaganza" occurring in the spring. View
additional images here |
| "Starved
Rock Virtual Tour" - Students created a virtual tour
of Starved Rock State Park through gathering GPS coordinates and
creating a virtual scavenger worksheet. Students then trained conference
participants from the Illinois Association of School College and
University Staff (IASCUS) in the use of GPS units so that participants
could gain an understanding of the use of GPS in education and life.
View the virtual
tour movie here |
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 |
"A
Day in the Life" - On May 17, 2007, Mrs. Goldman’s World
lit 1B class, Ms. Burns’s food’s 2B class, and Ms. Chases Band class
took a trip to Willow Crest Nursing Pavilion in Sandwich, Il. To
foster intergenerational appreciation of classic dramatic literature,
students from World Literature Class performed scenes Shakespearean
plays. The foods class researched diet and nutrition and created
a feast for seniors while the band performed chamber ensembles.
View additional images here |
| Noted anthropologist
Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of citizens
can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
While we believe that student and community participation in these
projects may not necessarily change the world, we do believe that
there is potential to change our local community and that the experiences
may be a catalyst for our students to change the world in the future. Newark Community High School wishes to develop this initiative further and has applied for a grant to continue these projects for the 2007-2008 school year. |