News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 4/1/05   Click on image for publication quality photo  SOUTHEASTERN STUDENTS TEACH SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE – State Farm agent Alexis Ducorbier presents a $1,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award to Cathy Martin, coordinator of service learning in Southeastern Louisiana University’s Center for Faculty Excellence. The funds will support a service learning project through which Southeastern foreign language students present lessons on Spanish language and culture to students at Southeastern Head Start and the Southeastern Laboratory School. From left, are Valerie Fields, director of Louisiana Campus Compact; Mariella Sanchez, Southeastern foreign language faculty; Beth Robinson, Lab School principal; Martin; Ducorbier; Marta Gumpert, Southeastern foreign language faculty; and Southeastern Spanish students Brandi Hock of New Orleans and Krystal Boothe of Meraux. STATE FARM FUNDS SOUTHEASTERN SPANISH SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT        HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University has received a $1,000 grant funded by the State Farm Companies Foundation to support a service learning project by students and faculty of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures who provide Spanish language and culture lessons to middle school students at the Southeastern Lab School and pre-schoolers at Southeastern Head Start.         The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award was presented to Cathy Martin, coordinator of service learning in the university’s Center for Faculty Excellence.  State Farm said Martin was one of 100 grant recipients selected from among 650 applications by Youth Serve America, coordinator of National Youth Service Day. The State Farm Companies Foundation funds the awards as the main sponsor of the National Youth Service Day, scheduled on April 15.        Martin said Southeastern foreign language students, guided by three Southeastern faculty members – Cheryll Javaherian, Marta Gumpert and Mariella Sanchez – present lessons to Lab School and Head Start students once a week        “We hope that this project will assist both the pre-kindergarten and elementary students to gain a basic knowledge of Spanish and the Spanish culture,” she said, pointing out that more 35 million people speak Spanish as their first language in the United States and that the local Hispanic population is growing.        “Not only will the children benefit from this project, but the students teaching the sessions will learn more about how to teach Spanish to non-natives,” Martin added. “Since most of these student participants are aspiring teachers, the experience they gain in such a service learning project will undoubtedly be invaluable to their career preparation.”        “This is a great project that exemplifies Southeastern’s commitment to the benefits of service learning,” said Valerie Fields, director of Louisiana Campus Compact. Southeastern is the home site for the coalition of 26 Louisiana universities and colleges which promotes community service, encourages collaborative partnerships between campuses and communities, and assists faculty in integrating public and community service into research and teaching.