Sub-categories in this issue

Types of Service  

• Short-term - Some of our students assist our elementary school and family resource center with parenting programs, festivals, book fairs, etc.
• Ongoing School Year  - Many of our students assist in the 'Camp Casey' afterschool program with Colonel William Casey Elementary School. This program is currently funded through the 21st Century Program. Our bonners are a great asset to this program. As their funding expires, they will be looking at the bonners to help sustain the program.
• Summer-  This summer, Camp Casey will be working with the KY Shakespeare Festival. They will be working with 40 students working on educational core content trhought the theater and the arts. We will have two bonner students teaching and assisting with this program.  The link to view this program is http://www.kyshakes.org/.

When asked specific questions about the Bonner Program, Principal Patty Jones answered like this: 

Ø       What types of service our students are doing with your programs. How are they helping or benefiting the program?  In short, our afterschool program would not be what it is today without Lindsey Wilson College’s support and the participation of the Bonner Leaders in particular.  Their enthusiasm and fresh outlook add so much to the program.  Students are thrilled to have these “big kids” as their leaders and look up to and admire them so much.

Ø       If you could choose one issue area to work on at your school, what would it be? How, as Bonners, can we help in resolving this issue?

Integrating more technology into our intervention programs.  Bonner leaders who could perhaps work with students and utilize our computer lab during our reading blocks would be a great thing.  We have a large block of time each morning when the lab is empty, but we have no free personnel to assist students in it use.

Ø       Is there an issue area we could do research on for you?

We are currently researching and looking into the best approach for students who are struggling at the end of the school year.  Questions such as; Should they be retained?  Would placing them in a “transition room” rather than a regular 1^st or 2^nd grade room be best?  Should you target instruction just at areas of concern and put less time on other content areas (ie, focus on only reading and math and less on social studies, science, etc.)

Also, I am curious about the benefits and concerns regarding using computer-generated intervention and curriculum programs.

Academic Work   courses  |  service-learning  |  CBR and policy research   |  departments and institutes

Education & Training   forums  |  workshops  |  reflection activities

Campus and Organizational Capacity-Building   training  |  fundraising  |  resource development

Research, Policy Analysis, Deliberative Democracy   evaluations  |  policy research  | issue forums  |  advocacy

Edcuational Summit -  Amy attended an educational summit at Center for Rural Devlopement on March 17, 2009. Agenda items consisted of:  Discussion of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS), Home Schooling, Drop-out Prevention and Remediation.

Since the initiation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, the state of KY has invested in many outside resources to assist with student achievement. One of the resources we, the members of the summit, agreed has helped propell student success are Family Resource Centers. One of our community partners is the Adair County Family Resource Center for John Adair Intermediate School and Colonel William Casey Elementary, it won the state wide award for being the best resource center in the state of KY. We feel there also needs to be more funding to help the school systems and teachers with teaching more in depth in the areas of science and technology.

Contacts   staff  |  faculty  |  students  |  community partners (local, regional, national)

•   Amy Thompson-Wells = Co- Director of the Bonner Leader Program          
•   Elise Luckey = Co- Director of the Bonner Leader Program      
•   Dana Harmon = Camp Casey, Bonner Leader Community Partner 
•   Tony Rose = 4-H Youth Development, Bonner Leader Community Partner
•  Jim Tackett = Forward in the Fifth, The Center for Rural Develoment