Service Learning Conference

Rebecca Shackleton ('13) shows off a tiny
sage brush seedling before safely planting
it along the shore of the San Francisco Bay.

RC Students Attend Service Learning Conference in San Jose and Learn Lots! 


Rebecca Shackleton ('13) and Elizabeth Brown ('13), members of the Office of Community Engagement's Service Corps program, recently had the chance to travel to San Jose California to attend the 21st Annual National Service-Learning Conference. Read on for a personal insight from the students attending! 


Thursday, March 25
9:14pm (PDT) 
Wow! It's been a very busy day, but it was truly amazing. We started out the day walking to the DASH which is a free shuttle (yes!!!) that goes around the San Jose area. Then there was the first workshop where I learned all about how to incorporate service into after school programs and create meaningful trips for young students. Then we went to the Plenary session where we listened to so many truly inspiring people. It was truly an amazing opportunity. 

Freshmen Rebecca Shackleton and Elizabeth Brown plant
the shore of the San Francisco Bay with native species.

After this we had lunch on the bus on our way to the Save the Bay field trip. As a group we planted 80 native plant species to help restore the San Francisco Bay to a healthy state. It was originally destroyed around the industrial era when the wet lans were used for salt farming and construction. It was great to be a part of something so big--especially when it entailed basking in the beautiful California sun! When we returned we attended another break-out session. This was the best one yet. I listened to creative ways to find funding and forge new community ties. We listened to a sixth grade teacher talk about how he makes service his the main priority in the classroom. His class never opens their textbooks, and learns purely from hands-on experiences that are tied into the curriculum. He showed me that the sky truly is the limit, and anything can be possible. His sixth grade students then gave a presentation on how they were helping their community and they were jaw dropping. It was amazing to see what kids can do with just a little direction, a loving environment and dedicated mentors.

Contemplating the events of the day on the bus ride home.

Then we found the walk home to be a wonderful way to wind down from the day and reflect on all we learned. We swapped details about our workshops and thought about ways we could bring that back to you at Ripon College....Well, I think that's about it for the night. I might try to upload some photos for you and do a little homework. This is beginning to already feel almost like home, but know that we miss and love you guys back home. Hope everything is going well! Over and Out! --Rebecca Shackleton ('13)

Brown and Shackleton restore the native wetland habitat on the shores of the San Francisco Bay to counteract erosion and wildlife habitat destruction, as well as aiding in filtering out pollutants before run-off reaches the bay.