(Acworth, Ga. – July 1, 2015) This past school year, Chattahoochee Technical College students gave back to the community by working with various organizations geared toward serving others. While many students take summers off to explore other opportunities, these students teamed up with groups who help children, the elderly, and animals, as well as those that deal with health, crime prevention, and the environment, among others. On Friday, June 26, 2015, faculty, staff, and students celebrated the time committed to such efforts at the annual awards day.
“Throughout the six counties CTC serves, 1,231 students contributed more than 11,000 hours. The value of that time would equal about $252,000,” said Marian Muldrow, Faculty Director of Service Learning.
The Center for Service Learning urges instructors of the more than 45 different programs of study offered by the college to engage in projects and opportunities for students to participate in with local non-profit organizations. The center supports efforts to include experiential instruction with service in the community in order for students to enhance their career and social skills. Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
Honored at this year’s event was CTC Computer Information Systems Technology Instructor David Busse. Winning the Superstar Award, Busse was recognized for his efforts in Community in Schools’ Reality U program where his students contributed more than 3,500 hours developing a web application for the organization.
“At the end of each semester we have a reflection exercise where I ask the students to think about their experiences interacting with a real client and building real software. We get several ideas about new techniques, new technologies, the dynamics of working as a team, learning to lead a team and so forth,” Busse said. “But what really got my attention was the observation that the students were able to help an organization that was trying to make things better.”
For more information on Chattahoochee Technical College, visit www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu or call 770-528-4545.