SIMI VALLEY : Student Civic Work Plan Will Be Studied

The Simi Valley school board will consider Tuesday requiring high school students to perform community service before graduation.

Under the proposal, students would tutor other students or volunteer at an approved community agency, said school board member Carla Kurachi. In addition, the students might be required to keep a journal or write a paper about their experiences.

“Learning about community service is as important as learning history or English,” board member Diane Collins said.

“It’s an essential part of being a knowledgeable adult. We are trying to turn out adults who are well rounded.”

The program would help students’ self-esteem, Kurachi said. In addition, schools, hospitals, convalescent homes and the Parks and Recreation Department could benefit from the students’ help, she said.

“It gives the students a sense that they can contribute something to the community,” said Kurachi, who was first elected to the board last November.

Both board members said they did not know how the proposal would be received by the rest of the board. Collins, who was elected to the board in 1988, said the idea was discussed briefly before, and it received positive response but no action was taken.

Neither Collins nor Kurachi could say how much the program would cost.

Collins said the program would help bring young people into the community.

“Teen-agers are wonderful if you get to know them,” she said. “I hope we could build some kind of community rapport.”