Service Learning Council

The TCHS Service Learning Council has existed for 5 years. We began as a club and then received grants from the Smaller Learning Community Initiative and Florida Learn and Serve to create a Service Learning Academy. The Service Learning Council is the government branch of the academy. It is a full credit class that meets every day.

We make the decisions that determine the course of the service-learning projects and goals of the academy! Through grants that our teacher, Mrs. Doromal writes, we receive money so we can award service-learning mini-grants to teachers at Timber Creek and throughout Orange County Public Schools. This way teachers have funding to perform service-learning projects and we can spread service learning to other schools!

As a council, we also conduct our own service learning projects at our school and with partners in the community. Last year we had 64 projects that promoted conflict resolution and non-violence, cultural diversity, drug prevention, and social justice. We also had projects that addressed homelessness and poverty in Central Florida, literacy and reading, tutoring and mentoring, intergenerational issues, business technology, and environmental issues.

We have over 130 partners who help us to conduct service-learning. We work with Back to Nature Wildlife, the Global Peace Film Festival, 4 area hospitals, retirement homes,the Orlando Science Museum, The Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando History Museum, Bithlo Community Center, hospices, Ronald McDonald House, the Red Cross, 5 area homeless agencies, environmental agencies and numerous other non-profit and government agencies. Our partners collaborate with us on service-learning projects, provide venues for us to learn and serve, and come to our school as guest speakers.

Every student in the Service Learning Academy is required to create a service-learning portfolio where we reflect upon our service-learning and document our projects. We must perform a minimum of 15 service-learning hours outside of school with a non-profit agency.

Want to start a service learning council at your school? If you live in Orlando or nearby we can come to your school and train you. Contact Mrs. Doromal at doromaw@ocps.net for more information.