EDGE Project
Reflections
In
high school I was privileged with the opportunity to hold a leadership position
in the National Honor Society. Myself, and other peers were placed in charge of
a service project to help make our school a better place. I, along with my
peers planned a dance for the special education students at our school. This
was done in hopes that they would feel more involved in our school.
In
my years at Southern Utah University I was introduced to the EDGE program and
didn’t really know what I could do to for my project. One day, between classes
I had a conversation with an individual I had completed the project with in
high school about what we had done. This gave me the idea that maybe I could do
this again in order to help my local community. As I thought about this I spoke
with my honor society advisor from high school and she believed that this
project would be a great thing for the high schools in Cedar.
In
order to carry out the project it was necessary to speak to the many individuals
who would be needed for the completion of the project. I began my talking to
the head of special education, then the administration and student governments
from both Cedar and Canyon View High Schools, arranging for time, date and
location of the event. Then, I made invitations explaining the event in order
to excite the students about this activity. I collected and even constructed
some of the games and arranged for the music to be played and pictures to be
taken by a professional. I arranged for food to be made by a club at the high
school in order to involve as many institutions as possible and create a real
sense of care in the high school community. When the day came for the event I
recruited some friends and students to help decorate the gym. The student
government officers helped to ensure the special education students were
involved and played games and participated in other activities with them. One
could sense bonds being made between these students in making them feel like
they belonged in the larger group and that they were accepted by even those who
were highly esteemed in their community. It was a beautiful thing to see. The
goal of creating a stronger community link for the special education students
was reached. They felt loved and accepted. The smile on their faces as each
left with a small gift from their peers was a heart melting experience.
This
experience forced me to use creativity in the production of games and
activities. I am not one to be incredibly artistic or crafty, so in the
construction of some of the games my abilities to paint and organize an idea
were stretched. It allowed me to realize that I am capable of creating
beautiful things. I was also able to increase my ability to organize my time in
order to reach deadlines when other people are involved. I was able to
communicate ideas and plans to superiors.
I
believe the EDGE program was created in order for the aforementioned skills, as
well as other to be tested. It helps to build more well-rounded individuals who
care about the world around them. The EDGE program also allows students to find
something they love that may not be accessible inside a classroom. In order to
create a more diverse education system there had to be a change to traditional
education methods. This has been accomplished via the EDGE program and those
individual projects invented by students at Southern Utah University.
The
EDGE project is something that has allowed me to grow and become a better
person. I like to think that the metaphor EDGE stands for, education discovery
and growth experience. This project was able to help me use a very integrative
form of study to tie in multiple disciplines in order to create something
meaningful and worthwhile. It will also give me an ‘edge up’ on the competition
as I enter into the ‘real world’ after university studies.
