West Nile Eradication

Grade Level: 9-12

Academic Areas: Science, Health

Duration of service: 1-2 Months

Character Virtues: Caring, Responsibility, Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Service Areas: Environmental, Human Services, Public Safety

Service Learning Project:

Students will collaborate with local Environmental agencies and senior centers in both education and eradication of potential West Nile infection in their community. With the aide of Environmental agencies and local waste management offices students will eliminate solid waste and litter that contributes to the breeding of mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. Since virus most effects the elderly, students will work with health care professionals to create an informational brochure explaining the spread and prevention of this potentially deadly virus. Student will deliver a short Power Point presentation at the local senior centers.

Learning Goal: Learning the cause, transmission, and target population affected by West Nile Virus.

Standard: MST, #4, #6, and #7

Learning Goal: Students will learn strategies to help reduce mosquito population.

Standard: MST, #4, #6, and #7

Community need: Several cases of West Nile infection in the local Senior population

Possible Community Partners: Environmental Agencies, County Health Dept., Local Senior Centers, and Local Waste Management Dept.

Objective: To help eliminate those environments that breed the mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus.

Objective: Students will increase the publics awareness of causes, transmission, and prevention of West Nile infection.

Character

Virtue: Caring

Objective: Students will donate their time to collaboratively create an informational pamphlet and power point presentation to be used at local senior centers and nursing homes.

Virtue: Responsibility

Objective: Students will take an active role in cleaning up of solid waste that contributes to the breeding of the mosquitoes that carry West Nile.

Virtue: Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Objective: Students will take the knowledge gained through research and collaboration with local agencies to share with school and community organizations.

1. Students will learn about the causes and effects of West Nile Virus.
2. Students will research what is currently being done to eradicate west nile.
3. Students will research and make contacts with local Health, Sanitation, and Senior Services offices and agencies.

Key Service Activities  

1. Student will go into the community to clean up the environmental breeding grounds that contribute to the spread of West Nile Virus.
2. Students will create and distribute brochures they have created to local Senior centers and community organizations.

3. Students will create and present their powerpoint presentations to local School / community groups and organizations.

1. (oral)Class forum – Students will conduct pre and post project discussions on their successes, challenges and how effective their project was with the target population, paying particular attention to the three character virtues of caring, citizenship and responsibility.
2. (written) Students will write an essay on what they learned about how a community can work together to solve a environmental / health problem.
3. (performance) After project completion students will present a summary of their project to the school and community organizations involved with the program.

Creating a scrap book and or bulletin board with pictures (before and after cleanup), student presentations to target populations, and student generated informational signs on West Nile prevention to be posted where the most litter was collected. Implementing a "Service Learning / Character Education Moment" during school morning announcements. To invite all involved groups and individuals to a picnic in a recently cleaned area.