How Campus Landscaping Changed My AACC Experience

What is your average school day like?  Personally, my itinerary is usually the following:

• Rush to school
• Rush from one class to the next
• Rush home

Your day may vary a bit, but I feel this must be standard for a commuter campus.  How many students put away their cell phones or iPods and enjoy the beauty of the campus?

I was one of those students before completing my service-learning hours at AACC-Campus Landscaping, an organization whose mission is, “To enhance the beauty, utility and ecological value of the outdoor spaces of the Anne Arundel Community College Arnold campus.”(Service Learning Student Handbook-On-Campus Partners #105)

A little manual labor went a long way in changing my routine between classes.  I pulled weeds in flowerbeds.  I trimmed back perennials.  I dug up dead bushes and replaced them with new shrubbery.  I even participated in a group effort to plant 150 flower bulbs in one location outside the Careers building.

This opened my eyes to the beauty of the campus, which students like me have helped to improve.  Now, instead of taking the shortest path to my next class, I choose the most scenic.  I eat lunch outdoors, and I park further away to better enjoy the autumn foliage. 

At first glance, I had no idea how this service learning opportunity would correspond with my Business Communications class.  I asked Ms. Ailstock concerning opportunities to learn the organizational and development processes, but she recommended I do the work assigned and see what I could divulge from my experience.  Communication; the ability to understand and execute both verbal and written communication is imperative to accomplish unsupervised landscaping tasks.  This is extremely important concerning the survival of new plants.

This experience was enjoyable and flexible for my busy lifestyle as a working student and parent.  Best of all, the students and faculty complimented our work, and expressed anticipation to see the fruits of our labor in the spring.

Take a walk around campus and enjoy the life and color of the landscape. It seems to promote a better learning environment.

If you want to improve your AACC experience, volunteer. Your help will affect more people than you realize and you may learn something new along the way.

By: John Vukmanic (BPA 162- Business Communications)

Get Your Feet Wet

When asked why a student would want to volunteer, the Director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s response was exactly what I had been experiencing for the last month: “Because the museum is fun.” The new volunteer coordinator had a similar answer an hour earlier. On my first day, I was asked why I chose to complete my service-learning hours here and about my hobbies. The initial thing I thought of was my own aquarium which resulted in my first assignment of cleaning an oyster tank. Though the job was a little messy, I did ask for it and it was a perfect fit.

The 800-gallon tank I cleaned needed some repairs. Discovering the glue had lost its attachment to a pipe coupling, I started draining the tank. With five inches of water left, I drilled a hole into the coupling and pipe to successfully install an attachment pin. I did this without toxic adhesives which would contaminate the marine life in the tank.

Turning to the subject of marine life, did you know one oyster can filter 50-gallons of water in a day? This was news to me. Long ago, the population of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay would filter the Bay’s water in a week. Between over harvesting in the 1800s and the pollutants of the 1990s, “We now have a very sick Chesapeake Bay” as told by the new coordinator. The few oysters left in the Chesapeake cannot filter the water causing dead spots. The museum is aiding in re-establishing the oyster population by adding “spat” (young oysters) to reefs in the needed areas.

The Museum’s learning program reaches over 2,000 students in Maryland. The museum can use your help- you may volunteer or intern:

•Education aid; assisting the learning program
•Docent (Maritime Tour Guide) assisting visitors of the museum.
•Buildings & Grounds management
•Wood boat crew-restoration of historic boats
•Thomas Point Lighthouse: summer docents may learn about how lighthouse keepers lived and worked. Lighthouses allowed safe passage in shallow waters, providing guidance and safety to wayfarers.
•Collections & Archives: document collections need catalogued, documented, photographed and preserved.

Communicating with visitors of the museum is a great way to learn customer service and sharpen your social networking skills. The Museum is an “Annapolis heritage destination” for visitors from around the globe because it is the last packaging house left locally. This student service opportunity will give you something back: the feeling of contributing to something as important as the clean-up of our Bay. Volunteering will enrich your knowledge of the treasures of the Chesapeake Bay and richness of local Annapolis history.

I encourage you to call 410-295-0104 or see the museum’s web site and click on volunteer. Don’t miss this great opportunity.

References:
Annapolis Maritime Museum. N/A. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
Bourdon, Dave. Personal Interview. 20 Oct. 2011.
Holland, Jeff. Personal Interview. 20 Oct. 2011.

By James A. Talley (BPA 162- Business Communications)

Banneker-Douglass Museum: Maryland's Official Museum of African American History

Prior to the Banneker Douglass Museum, which opened its doors on February 24, 1984, stood the beautiful Mount Moriah African Episcopal Church, which was slated for demolition and a new parking lot was planned as its replacement. The decision was over ruled, and today stands The Banneker Douglass Museum, the state’s repository of African American heritage and culture. The small gallery on the first floor, and open balcony on the second floor, allow you to view the original stained glass window from the historic church. The lobby also houses one original interior brick wall from the church, with replicas of the original stained glass windows.

As a student from South Africa, I chose to complete my service-learning hours at The Banneker-Douglass Museum to learn about the similarities and differences between my country’s history and the African American history.

I worked as the Archives Assistant where I assisted in preserving and improving access to historical documents and photographs by creating descriptive inventories of selected collections.

 

Other opportunities include:

• Library Assistant

• Program Assistant

• Marketing Assistant

• Volunteer from Home  

The Banneker-Douglass Museum, is not only a museum, it is also a library. This is where my work took place. The library is named after Sylvia Gaither Garrison, who was the first librarian at the museum. The library is located in the museum itself, and holds archival records, audio visual materials, blueprints, books, maps, encyclopedias, pamphlets, periodicals, and photographs. Some books, encyclopedias and periodicals date back to the 1960’s, and other rare books and manuscripts date back to the 1780’s. The library is open to the public and students are allowed access to these photographs and documents by appointment only.

This was such a rewarding experience knowing I was preserving ancient documents with my own hands which were wrapped in thin, white cotton gloves.

I am hoping in my next semester, I will find the time to continue volunteering at the Banneker-Douglass Museum and continue preserving Maryland’s African American Heritage.

To contact the museum:

Call (410) 216-6187

Or visit their website

By Ashleigh Gregory (BPA 162- Business Communications)

My New Found Love of Landscaping

My name is Jillian Waybright, and I completed service-learning hours as a requirement for my Business Communications class this past fall. I volunteered for the Anne Arundel Community College Campus Landscaping, the committee is run by Rita Ailstock, and is located on the Arnold campus. This was a great service learning opportunity which provided a flexible schedule, and is conveniently located on campus! I have a busy schedule and it was great to be able to get out of class and be right at my service learning location.

When I walked around campus, I never really thought about who was planting the flowers, mulching, and weeding the flower beds. I assumed campus employees were in charge of the landscaping. This volunteer experience made me realize I was completely wrong. The students:

• plant flowers
• pull weeds
• do light mulching
• transplant flowers

Did you know Anne Arundel Community College has a green house? This green house is located near the Careers Building. Students volunteering in the spring semester work in the green house planting seeds, and move flowers from the green house to different locations on campus. I volunteered in the fall and planted different types of bulbs near the Careers Building. I cannot wait to see these tulips when they bloom in the spring! I will have a sense of accomplishment knowing other students are enjoying the result of the work I did while volunteering.

Overall, this was a great service-learning experience. It was local, fun, and interactive. On campus partners are a great option for students with busy schedules and limited transportation. Mrs. Ailstock is a great woman to volunteer for, and shows great enthusiasm about the activities the Campus Landscaping Community has in store for the upcoming semester. I am glad I chose to complete my service-learning hours with Anne Arundel Community College Campus Landscaping.

By Jillian Waybright (BPA 162-Business Communications)

An amazing experience at the Maritime Museum

I am from Colombia, South America. When I arrived in Annapolis, I tasted the extraordinary blue crabs, and I love to eat as many crabs as I can. Have you ever eaten any delicious blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay? Do you like it? Our blue crabs are part of Maryland’s culture; however, the blue crab is threatened by hazardous waste materials contaminating the Chesapeake Bay.

As a service-learner at the Maritime Museum, I had the opportunity to participate and to volunteer for educational programs for children from the public schools in the Annapolis area. Learning about oysters, crabs, and the Chesapeake Bay habitat was a great experience.

I discovered how to identify if a crab is young or adult, and if a crab is male or female.

• “Jimmy” is known as the name for male crabs. “Males have blue claws and a narrow abdominal apron (referred to as the Washington Monument). (NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

• “Sook” is known as the name for female mature crab. “Females have red-tipped claws ("painted fingernails") and a broad abdominal apron (referred to as the Capitol dome). (NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

I also learned about oysters while I was at the Maritime Museum. The oysters are a very important part of our region. Oysters clean the water and help keep it clean. The maritime museum has a program called “Muddy Feet.” As a volunteer, I had the opportunity to show Annapolis Elementary students how to shuck oysters. I met a waterman, Captain John VanAlstine, who showed the children how to tong for oysters. The children even had a chance to try it themselves with custom “kid-sized” hand tongs.(Maritime Museum, 2010)

The Maritime Museum offers three types of educational programs:

•Four free programs for students from pre-school to 8th grade in the Anne Arundel County Public schools

•A fee-based program to private schools

•A community outreach program - www.amaritime.org

You may serve as little as one hour or as many hours a week as you would like. Even if you chose not to volunteer, you can still educate your family and friends about the importance of taking care of the Chesapeake Bay.

Every hour of time you give to help the Chesapeake Bay through education or through other actions provides a greater chance of survival for our local environment, our source of recreation, and a fabulous source of food. By supporting educational programs for the Bay, we also show and support advocacy. These two actions have proven themselves over the years. In the 1980’s, the Chesapeake Bay was at its worst condition ever. On a 100-point scale, with 100 as totally pristine, the Bay was rated at 23. Through education, advocacy and a lot volunteers’ efforts, the Bay was rated at 31 this past year according to the 2010 Chesapeake Bay Foundation Report. The goal is to bring the Bay up to a score of 70 and only through more education and greater voluntary efforts can this goal be achieved.

Works Cited

Chasepeake Bay Fundation. (2011). http://www.cbf.org/page.aspx?pid=433. Retrieved October 31, 2011

Chasepeake Bay Fundation. (2010). State of the Bay . Annapolis, MD: Chasepeake Bay Fundation.

Chasepeake Bay Program. (2009, 08 06). http://www.chesapeakebay.net/chemicalcontaminants.aspx?menuitem=14692. Retrieved October 31, 2011

Maritime Museum. (2010, July 27). http://www.amaritime.org/discovery.html. Retrieved October 27, 2011

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.). http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/fish-facts/blue-crab. Retrieved November 13, 2011

REED, T. (2011, 04 03). http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/ENV/2011/04/03-40/Cleaning-up-the-creeks.html. Retrieved October 31, 2011

Sherman, B. (2007, January 23). http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2781.htm. Retrieved October 31, 2011

Zhang, T. (2010, June 28). http://www.pratt.duke.edu/duke_mercury_hsu_kim. Retrieved October 31, 2011

By Sandra (BPA 162- Business Communications)

Service-Learning Team

Service-learning can be a tricky thing to get busy college students to participate in. My team's job was to do exactly that. We wanted to let more students know that AACC's Service-Learning program is a fun, hands- on way to not only earn credit for your classes, but also to learn something new. My partner and I created this blog so that students can post about their experiences with Service-Learning projects, and we hope that other students will read these stories and want to participate. I had a great time doing another Service-Learning project. I think that doing something that will make a difference teaches students more than just doing classroom work. So I hope that the stories posted on this blog inspire others to use Service-Learning.

Service Learning- eMarketing (BPA 127) Fall 2011

Service learning is definitely one of those things where you get the most out of it when you make the most of it. The Global Giving Market at AACC was my second service learning project. My favorite part about these projects is the real world experience you learn from it. In marketing (my major), you are always working in groups or on presentations. This project allowed me to learn valuable lessons about group work and prepares me for future endeavors!

-Christian Revill