Seniors Libby Hartung and Frances Fulton working on their projects in the library. Photo courtesy of Marc Carraway
Seniors Libby Hartung and Frances Fulton working on their projects in the library. Photo courtesy of Marc Carraway

Making a Change One Student at a Time

October 18, 2017

Fluvanna County’s Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School seniors are impacting the county through community service projects that are taking place during the 2017-2018 school year.  From teaching high school students about car transmissions to starting toy drives for terminally ill children, these students dedicate a surprising amount of time each year on improving their community through good works.  

There are 14 seniors in the BRVGS program at Fluvanna County High School who are currently conducting community service for their senior projects.  Each student has created their own unique way to serve the community through their desired career field.  For example, Casey Clarke is working with the non-profit organization Jared’s Box to provide toys to hospitalized children.  

Frances Fulton and Libbey Hartung have focused their efforts on the medical field.  “Frances and I are offering the opportunity to high school students to learn healthy relationship practices,” said Libbey Hartung.  Hartung and Fulton are taking classes to become certified peer teachers in order to teach classes after school.

Jacob Wood is also educating high school students by taking apart a car transmission to show students how it works.  Wood is developing lesson plans with detailed descriptions about manual transmissions; he will be teaching Russell Jennings’s class by showing students the parts of the transmission and how they work.

Other students, such as Newlin Humphrey and Jacob Taylor, are aiming their community service projects at teaching classes at Fluvanna Middle School.  Humphrey is teaching an Introduction to Agriculture class to fifth graders twice a week for ten weeks.  Her goal is to inspire students to continue learning about agriculture and to join the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club.  Humphrey is going to be working with a seventh grade science teacher.  

Taylor, on the other hand, is working with  James Barlow III (son of FCHS Principal James Barlow) and will be teaching an engineering class.  Taylor will use the computer program SketchUp to teach kids how to design 3D objects.  Then he is going to print out the children’s designs with FCHS’s 3D printer.  Both Humphrey and Taylor are teaching these classes to offer a chance to the younger generation to learn about subjects seldom taught at their grade level.  

Although many students have focused their projects on education, others are going about their community service a bit differently.  Sophia Leichtentritt is concentrating her service at the non-profit organization, BreadWorks.  “I am doing branding and marketing work for a non-profit organization in Charlottesville that takes disabled residents and helps them regain skills needed for the work force,” said Leichtentritt.  She will specifically be improving BreadWorks’s social media presence and website content to raise awareness.

Kathryn Madison also is taking an alternative path, turning her love of music into helping the community.  “My community service consists of putting together a concert of musical groups in the community … and donating funds I receive to the elementary school’s music program,” said Madison.  She will be asking local artists like Just Us to participate at an outdoor concert during the spring of 2018.  

BRVGS has been in operation for 17 years.  Five out of those 17 years, FCHS English teacher Sherry Esch has been Fluvanna County’s senior advisor.  Esch mentors and guides her students throughout their projects.  She helps BRVGS students find a subject they are passionate about, encourages them to contact mentors, and helps keep them on track.  

Throughout her five years in the position, Esch has worked with as many as 90 students on their community service projects.  A key aspect of the senior project is that students have to conduct and arrange their service independently.  This leads them to discover new things about themselves, their project, and their community.  “It makes students learn how to truly impact, not just serve, but truly make a difference,” said Esch.  

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