Best of Florida Schools 2005
General Categories—Page 9

Most Innovative Education
Making No Grade
What do you want to do? No, besides going to happy hour. What do you really want to do? If you could devote your time and energy to learning or doing one thing, what would it be?

For the students at New College of Florida, this isn’t just a rhetorical question or first-day icebreaker—it’s a question they have to come up with an answer for every winter. Instead of coming back from winter break with a spiffy new sweater and some of Aunt Edna’s fruitcake, NC students come back with a plan for how to best spend their Independent Study Period, known to other Florida students as “January.” “ISPs, especially ones done in the first half of the New College education, are meant as a means for students to explore any interest in a more in-depth manner,” says Becca Nelson, media relations coordinator. “Where else can you spend January interning at a zoo in Belize or doing community service right in the local area, not have to take any classes, and still receive credit?”

Now, you can’t do in-depth research in tanning or X-box, but once you’ve figured out what topic or project you want to work on, your faculty sponsor will help you create a plan of attack. “After the student presents the idea, the sponsoring faculty member will assist in crystallizing the goal of the project, as well as coming up with completion criteria,” Nelson says. Completion criteria is the closest the ISP comes to being graded—the goals are to gain the sort of research practice students will experience in graduate school, create open dialogue between student and sponsoring faculty, and “allow students to dedicate themselves to their own educational self-discovery.” Once students have gotten their feet wet in the first two years by exploring topics, they develop a third-year topic that ties into their major. Hopefully, they’ll get their research and experience in the chute and gather momentum to propel them into their Senior Thesis project.—SRR

Contact Nelson at bnelson@ncf.edu.

Best Class-to-Campus Gift
A Gift of Beauty
Florida College is going to have a carousel, a Swiss family Robinson-esque tree house, and fruit punch squirting from their water fountains if they keep heading down their current path.

Every year, sophomores brainstorm, fund, and present a gift to their school. The pressure to outdo the class before has resulted in gifts like gazebos, amphitheatres, and swings. This past year, sophomores took an overgrown riverbank and turned it into a scenic pathway outfitted with handrails, stairs, and a concrete path. “Before, you couldn’t walk through it and feel safe,” says Reba Cook, community relations director. “It was all overgrown.”

In their efforts to spruce up the riverbank, the sophomore class added tables, chairs, swings, and a small arbor covered in jasmine that serves as the entrance to the Riverwalk. The class also created planters that line the footpath, refurbished and painted the concrete, and built a completely new wood stage with seating that comfortably sits 240 people. “It’s just primarily used as a retreat from on campus,” Cook says. “It’s a beautiful view.”

Students use the area as a place to eat lunch or as a serene environment to read. It’s also used for events such as Eagle Scout inductions and the school’s most popular event, Spring Court, when court members float down the river on pontoon boats and climb on stage to greet an awaiting crowd.

The walkway, which is wheelchair-accessible throughout various sections, was put together by one of the biggest class turnouts at Florida College—73 percent of the sophomore class helped out, donating a total of $17,110 out of their own pockets. This is an increase in participation from the year before, which had a 67 percent turnout.

The total amount raised for this project was $43,160, which included incredible local donations like wood, labor, new landscaping, plants, and an upgrade in electrical service and instillation of spotlights.

While the project is complete, sophomores continue to keep the Riverwalk clean. “They’re so proud of it,” Cook says. “I think part of it is to walk through it and see how well they keep it.”

Cook says the final product was just amazing. “It’s been there for so long, and it was so overgrown that it wasn’t really useable,” she says. “And it didn’t take much to look at it and see what a beautiful place it could be.”—JW

Contact Cook at cookr@floridacollege.edu.

Best Love Project
Charitable Coiffures
Students, faculty, and staff at Lake City Community College are going under the scissors, lining up to get free haircuts. But they’re not just doing it to sport shorter ‘dos—they’re helping children in need.

Members of the LCCC family are donating hair 10 inches and longer to the national organization Locks of Love, which creates wigs for children and young adults suffering from medical hair loss.

When they caught wind of the program, Dr. Sheri Carder, professor of marketing and management, and staff member Dawn Havird were among the first to hit the hair salon. Since then, about a dozen LCCC students, faculty, and staff have gotten haircuts to promote the cause.

Students in Lake City’s cosmetology department offer free haircuts for people donating their locks, giving stylists the opportunity to help Locks of Love while honing their skills.

For Carder, getting the haircut was emotional—she had worn her black hair long for 50 years. “The minimum they’ll accept is a 10-inch ponytail,” she says. “Mine was 11 inches—that left me enough to have a chin-length bob.”

However, Carder says she loves her shorter, trendier look. “I’ve received many compliments on my new style,” she says. “People say it makes me look younger. And I can feel great knowing that I helped someone.” –LD

Contact Carder at carders@lakecitycc.edu.

Best Kids Camp
The Cats and the Hatters
What do you get when you combine a popular Dr. Suess book, the Stetson University mascot, and an alternative to summer school? The answer is “The Cats and the Hatters” summer camp, created in 2004 by Stetson faculty and staff to help second-graders improve their reading skills.

Principals and teachers from two schools in the Spring Hill neighborhood of DeLand identified rising second-graders who had problems with their English skills. Because the area has a high level of poverty, most of the students had never been to camp before and relished the opportunity.

“Students loved the camp,” says Dr. Bette Heins, teacher-education professor and director of the Hollis Institute for Educational Reform.

A Stetson adjunct professor, an elementary school teacher, and Stetson undergraduate education students taught the three-week camp. The campers participated in daily activities like reading aloud and playing games to practice math and word-recognition skills. Most of the lessons incorporated music, art, and drama to catch the campers’ attention. Also, the children arrived each morning to find different treasures in their oversized red- and white-striped “Cat in the Hat”-style hats: pencils, flash cards, books, crayons, paper, and more.

“We’ll have another camp this summer,” Heins says. “Data showed that all students improved dramatically in the academic areas.” –CG

Contact Heins at bheins@stetson.edu.

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