Honoring ordinary heroes through a community service project
Abstract
The extraordinary contributions of ordinary citizens often go unnoticed in a community. Finding and honoring these ordinary heroes has become an annual cross-age service-learning project for fifth- and ninth-graders in Sharon, Massachusetts. During the year-long Ordinary Heroes Project, students explore the nature of heroic acts through literature and interviews with local citizens who exemplify heroic virtues. They also hone their interviewing, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Excerpted from Community Lessons: Promising Curriculum Practices by Julie Bartsch.
Issue
Unfortunately, today's society primarily promotes only famous people as heroes, overlooking — or simply paying lip service to — the many ordinary citizens who make extraordinary contributions in their community. Most students leave their communities unaware of who these people are and how their generous and unselfish acts enrich the quality of life of others.
Action
The Ordinary Heroes Project is a cross-age endeavor that combines a fifth-grade class with a ninth-grade English class in an effort to find ordinary citizens who have made extraordinary contributions to the Sharon, Massachusetts, community. "Ordinary Heroes" is a full-year project constructed in five phases. Classes meet together about every two weeks to establish criteria and an interviewing process for the various community members qualifying as potential "ordinary heroes." The combined classes are divided into seven groups of approximately six students each, half fifth graders, half ninth. Such grouping allows for an effective mentor relationship to develop.
The culminating event of the "Ordinary Heroes" initiative is a formal ceremony organized by the students to honor eight to ten local residents and their families. Each "ordinary hero" is presented a citation from the local state senator and representative and has his or her name engraved on an Ordinary Heroes Hall of Fame plaque, which hangs in the Sharon Public Library. Town officials, community members, students, and former "heroes" join in the recognition ceremony. The ceremony is documented on film and shown by the local cable station to the entire community.
Timeline
Phase 1: Introduction to the project
- Students write an essay on their notion of a hero — real or fictional.
- Form cross-age groups: seven groups of six students each.
- Discuss characteristics of heroes in groups.
- Scrutinize television, newspapers, and magazines for articles on heroic acts.
- Fifth-grade students read and discuss Bridge to Terabithia. Ninth-grade students read selections from the anthology Man The Myth Maker.
- Create working list of heroic qualities.
- Select two or three heroes from each group to read to the class.
- Write a list of the "heroes" from the essays on the board.
Phase 2: Arriving at idea of "Ordinary Hero"
- Write essay about heroes students have known personally.
- Read essays and write a list of types of people on board: police, parents, teachers, etc.
- Discuss film "Heroes America," a series of six vignettes about ordinary people doing extraordinary deeds for others.
- Watch the movie "Stand and Deliver."
- Discuss the movie focusing on the heroic traits of "ordinary hero" Jaime Escalante.
Phase 3: Finding the ordinary heroes
- Discuss ways to find heroes.
- Design and create posters and newspaper articles to publicize the project.
- Prepare questionnaires to be given out to friends, parents, teachers, and neighbors who might provide leads.
- Review principles of good interviewing.
- Interview local citizens (wide range of individuals including clergy, civic leaders, business people, youth, educators, elderly).
- Add any new qualities to working list of heroic traits.
- Synthesize the information from individual interviews and present this information to the combined classes.
- Take photos and videos of interviewing sessions.
Phase 4: Selecting the "ordinary heroes" to be honored
- Select final set of criteria for judging and evaluating nominees.
- Tally the votes.
- Select and notify the ordinary heroes.
Phase 5: Planning and conducting the awards ceremony
- Review notes and prepare three-minute speeches for each ordinary hero to be honored.
- Determine who will present each hero to the audience.
- Prepare the display with photos and bios that will be shown around the town.
- Plan reception and send out invitations.
- Enjoy the ceremony!
- Write a reflective essay about the impacts of the ordinary heroes program as a learning experience.
Context
The Ordinary Heroes Project is an annual joint project between Heights Elementary School and Sharon High School in Sharon, Massachusetts. It involves fifth- and ninth-grade students. The initiative began in response to a fourth-grade student's brave announcement of his HIV-positive status. His teacher seized the opportunity to engage her students in a discussion about the qualities of a hero and acts of bravery committed by ordinary citizens in their communities.
Citation
Bartsch, Julie. "Ordinary Heroes," Community Lessons: Promising Curriculum Practices. Massachusetts Department of Education, March 2001: 45-58.
Outcome
Throughout the year-long project students gain an understanding of the complexities involved in managing even a small town like Sharon and an awareness of the tremendous amount of volunteer work performed by citizens in order to keep town programs running smoothly. The program also aims to have students gain insights about themselves and the people around them by using a framework of cross-age mentorships.
Students learn to:
- Write essays about heroic traits
- Interview
- Practice active listening
- Interact successfully with different age group
- Become effective public speakers
- Recognize and identify positive community forces
Posted On
November 15, 2001For More Information
Resources
From The Resource Center library:
Community Lessons: Promising Curriculum Practices
Item number: C1977
Review Community Service-Learning Promising Practices from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for more project ideas.
Source Documents
Community Lessons: Promising Curriculum PracticesRelated Practices
Related sites
National Youth Leadership Council
