A group of over 125 high school students participated in the service-learning project Batty for Bats. Ms. Hall led instruction in philanthropy and service-learning to help her students make real, meaningful connections to the community through the Learning to Give lessons In My Own Backyard and Understanding Advocacy.  

 

Students researched different animals and learned about their ecosystems. When they learned about the importance of human awareness of the needs of the animals in their own backyards, the young people wanted to take action. With funds from a grant their teacher received from Learning to Give, some students built bat houses. They placed twelve in a local park and eleven others at the library, museum, and other community gathering places. Near the installations, the students posted cards with facts they researched about the importance of bats and how people can take action to preserve them. Other students built giant wooden art pieces that other students decorated with images of their researched animals. They displayed the art and advocacy in the library. 

 

"It was really cool learning about all of my animal's adaptations. I never knew that bats were so important to keeping mosquitos in check," one student said. "This was a neat project. Not only did I get to learn about my favorite animal, sloths, I got to share out their awesomeness with my friends and classmates too," said another.  

 

"These students came in thinking that they couldn't make a difference," said Ms. Hull. "As we went through the process of the project, their confidence grew in both their art skills and their knowledge and ability to share their work with others in the community."