SkillsUSA SkillsUSA Champions Fall 2010 : Page 25
spotlight or their science and environmental technology courses, students are converting an old vegetable garden into a sustainable living laboratory at the C. Merlo Institute of Environmental Technology in Stockton, Calif. Thanks to an Innovation in Sustain-ability grant from State Farm, they will incorporate a system to compost appro-priate waste products from the school, such as shredded paper and cafeteria waste, and use the compost to improve the structure and fertility of the soil. The redesigned garden will also feature a solar-powered water feature. This small pond will provide students in the biology class with a water-based ecosystem for analysis and study. F A t Edison Academy in Alex-andria, Va., some local dogs are getting “makeovers” at the school’s Fresh Start Dog Wash. One Saturday a month, animal science students give up five Edison Academy students Christian hours to groom dogs for rescue Eusebio (left) and Crystal Ronan dry organizations and shelters. off Keno, a dog from the Mid-Atlantic Since grooming services can be German Shepherd Rescue, after a bath. costly, and well-groomed dogs have a better chance of being adopted, students decided to give of their time and skills rather than money or products. Besides helping the rescue organizations and shelters, the students groom the dogs of the people who foster and adopt pets from these groups. • • Serving while learning Collision repair and refinishing, truck and diesel technology and automo-tive service students at Northwest Rejuvenating a garden in Stockton, Calif. Iowa Community College in Sheldon are fixing up another vehicle for a needy family. This Charitable Chariots program allows students to learn as they perform safety inspections, rust repair, tune-ups and fluid changes, install new filters and belts, and replace damaged interior, exterior or mechanical parts. They gain management skills while contacting businesses for donated materials and setting up the delivery with local agencies. Recipients also receive a $100 gas card. Tuition for African orphan SkillsUSA students at Camden County Technical Schools’ Pennsauken, N.J., campus spend their lunch hours collect-ing money to help pay private-school tuition for an African orphan. Known to them as Aklele, the child lives in Katako, Guinea. Prior to these donations, Aklele had to walk 10 miles round trip to a free public school where the average class size is 200. • • Photo: Shamus Fatzinger, Fairfax County Times, Reston, Va. OLD GARDEN BECOMES LIVING LABORATORY Makeovers help dogs find homes
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