Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is an international service-learning consultant, workshop presenter, program developer, and keynote speaker. She’s also the author of several books including The Complete Guide to Service-Learning, Strategies for Success with Literacy: A Learning Curriculum that Serves and the How to Take Action series for kids. For more information about Ms. Kaye, please visit her website or contact her at: cbkaye@aol.com.

To commemorate Earth Day and inspire teachers and students to "be useful where thou livest," we asked Ms. Kaye how schools can overcome barriers to service-learning, why failed projects can sometimes be a blessing, and why throwing a pizza party for a good project may not be a good idea.

Leaders of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Elmhurst, Illinois have produced a video on the community's Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship campaign. “We continue to see so much negative sportsmanship in the news and on the athletic fields,” said local PVWH committee member Pam Huck, “so we wanted to counter that with a positive teaching tool.” Organizers recruited a variety of community members to participate — from public and private schools, park district sports affiliates, the YMCA, local news media, and the mayor's office. 

The DVD is part of a packet, which includes resources from the Pursuing Victory With Honor website. The packets are distributed to athletic programs throughout the community. Click below to watch.