April 19, 2008
Florida Governor Charlie Crist proclaimed April as Service Learning Month. Florida Learn and Serve is sponsoring a conference and opportunity for students and teachers from all over Florida to set up service learning displays at the capitol, meet with legislators to tell them about service-learning, and attend a conference. Students from the TCHS Service Learning Academy had already planned an Earth Week so they went to Tallahassee to drop off their display and meet with legislators April 18th. Kaley Wyker, President of the TCHS Service Learning Council, Mary Barahona, Secretary, and members Lauryn Melendez and Kevin McBean went to the state capitol with chaperones Mr. Gardner and Mrs. Doromal.
They met with legislative aides of some of their representatives to discuss the service learning legislation that was introduced by Pinellas Rep. Rick Kriseman. While they were there they met Orange County Public School's lobbyist, Scott Howatt. The students presented the aides with packets they had prepared with information about the academy and the OCPS Service Learning Program.
All of the representatives were on the floor of the House listening to a bill about condominiums being read. The students and chaperones went to the gallery to watch the proceedings. Most of the representatives were not listening to the bill, but were talking. At one point two rows of representatives stood in unison and stretched and yawned.
After the group left the capitol, they went to the Department of Education's Florida Learn and Serve Offices where they were greeted by Executive Director Joe Follman, Javier Betancourt, Michael Murphy and Mary Matthews. They had lunch with the Florida Learn and Serve staff at a Chinese Restaurant.
Joe Follman suggested they go to nearby Wakulla Springs State Park before heading back to Orlando. The springs is a beautiful spot with a lodge built in 1937, boat rides, and hundreds of acres of beautiful forest. It is one of the world's largest and deepest springs. It was where the film creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed. There were archaeological digs happening right near the lodge, and a controlled burn in the forest.
Mr. Follman has photographed and written about more than 500 freshwater springs! He has a web-site called Spring Fever.
