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Edison
State Darke County Campus students work with
Empowering After School Program students as
part of their Fundamentals
of Communication community service commitment. The After School Program
meets Monday through Friday on the Greenville Elementary & Middle
School campus.
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Edison State Darke
County Campus students take community service seriously
GREENVILLE – “This experience has really humbled me,” said one Edison
State student. She was one of 49 Edison State Darke County Campus
students who worked with kindergarten through seventh graders in
Empowering Darke County Youth’s After School Program (ASP) on the new
Greenville Elementary & Middle School campus last fall. She wasn’t
the only one with an eye-opening experience… another student referred
to it as an “extremely important and absolutely fantastic program.”
Edison State students taking Fundamentals of Communication courses on
the Darke County campus have the opportunity to work outside of their
comfort zones for 26 hours during the semester. While the option is
adaptable according to individual circumstances, students are
encouraged to learn the value of communication by tutoring younger
students struggling with their academics. In most cases, this will be
in the Empowering ASP program. It is almost exclusively supported by
Edison State faculty, staff and students. Another 10 students, due to
schedule conflicts, chose to work with children in their local
districts or older citizens in health care facilities.
“Nearly all referred to the programs they chose as life-changing
experiences,” said Bob Robinson, communications instructor. “They look
upon their efforts as a valuable service that has a ‘big’ impact on the
students and the community.” One student, in his end-of-semester
evaluation, said, “I think it’s a good way for the community to
recognize Edison State cares.”
While the tutoring (or alternative) option is the major one, Edison
State communications students also have the opportunity to go into
different Darke County school districts to talk to students about
making the right decisions in their lives. In the fall they talk to
young people about bullying; in the spring the topic is drug abuse.
Their messages are age-appropriate for kindergarten through sixth
grade. Over the years Edison State students have made presentations to
kindergarten through sixth grade students in Greenville, Arcanum,
Mississinawa Valley, and Ansonia.
“In ASP tutoring, I’ve had students who were scared to death the first
time they found themselves waiting for a first, second or other grade
student to show up, looking for help,” Robinson said. “It didn’t take
them long to realize it was the first day of building a new
relationship with a young child.” One Edison State student even
commented, “Little people are actually pretty cool.”
“I am extremely proud of the work our students are doing in the
community,” said Edison State Darke County Campus Dean Chad
Beanblossom. “The hours of service Edison State Darke County Campus
students accumulate throughout the semester benefit the entire Darke
County region. These individuals are making a positive impact on the
future of our community.”
The Edison State student impact on the community each semester is
substantial. During Fall 2017, 113 Edison State Darke County students
provided 1,687.5 hours of service to the community. Most of the effort
came from current communications students. Students from other Edison
State Darke County Campus classes, both current and former, also
participated.
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