School: University City High School
Center Director: Martin Galvin
Email: linda.galvin@verizon.net
Phone: 215.387.5100
Address: 3601 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Grant: EcoTech Student Service Learning Center
www.delawarevalley.org/psla/ecotech.html

Descriptions:
The EcoTech Small Learning Community introduces students to the world of communications technology and environmental studies. Our mission is to use media technologies to analyze our environment and to produce students that are capable of using cutting edge media to advocate for the environment.

Projects that the students are working on include:

* Using Graphical Information Systems technology, students will create an interactive online map that plots health statistics, green areas, fresh food sites, community gardens, health outreach institutions, and additional local resources.

* Students will also be busy running a hydroponic lettuce business using a classroom greenhouse. Students raise baby green lettuce and sell this hot commodity to a local gourmet restaurant. Business graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania provide small business training for the high schoolers. UCHS students will use software to keep track of the business records and powerpoint to create a formal presentation about the work they are doing.

* High School students are training as peer nutrition educators and working with a first grade class at the neighboring Drew Elementary school. The high schoolers read, plant, cook, eat, write and draw with the younger students. Together, they plan to produce a web-based community cookbook.

*A group of students is working with the Urban Nutrition Initiative and the Center for Community Partnerships to bring a cooperative health food grocery store to West Philadelphia (37th and Lancaster). The students have done market research with west philadelphia residents, created a business plan, located and began renting a space, and are in the process of forming a board of directors and incorporating with the state as a recognized non-profit. The co-op will not only provide economically-priced healthy produce and dry goods (including organics) to west philadelphia residents, it will also set the framework for future service-learning in the area of entrepreneurship, business and managerial skills, etc.

* In a YDSLC sponsored project, students designed and bult a composting system for the University City/Drew Elementary Garden. Students learned carpentry skills and some design skills and built the extensive system that will service the garden for years to come. This is the third year in a row that students have done carpentry-based projects for the benefit of their school and community.

* A class of students and several student interns have been working to re-instate phillyTURFtech, a student-designed website that features both student written news stories on community and environmental issues, and an archive highlighting student classroom work dealing with these issues. The website is accessible at www.phillyTURFtech.org .