Nick Metrakos shares stage with Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Contributed by Richland School District Two

Photo courtesy of Richland School District Two Archbishop Desmond Tutu praises Blythewood High School student Nick Metrakos for his service to his community

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the human rights activist and Nobel Laureate, was a featured speaker at last week's 19th Annual National Service Learning: Youth for a Change conference in Minneapolis, where he delivered an inspirational message to several thousand and congratulated over 25 award winners for their exceptional leadership and service to others.

Blythewood High School senior, Nick Metrakos, was among the honorees, receiving the 2008 Spirit of Service Learning Excellence award, sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The annual award recognizes one student, one teacher, and one organization for making sig- nificant and lasting contributions to their communities and to the field of service learning, which combines academic study with community outreach.

"I was honored to win the award and to be in the presence of such a revered spiritual leader," said Metrakos. "His message resonated with young and old alike. His warmth and humor were contagious. He's definitely a hugger more than a handshaker! I am so fortunate that Richland Two and Blythewood High afford students incredible opportunities to demonstrate leadership skills through service to our schools as well as our local and the global community."

Nick Metrakos

A contingent of 21 Richland Two students and staff joined Metrakos.

Metrakos co- chairs the Richland School District Two Youth Action Council with fellow BHS students, Mike Schwarzbauer, a senior and Audrina Flowers, a sophomore.

Comprised of approximately 30 middle and high school student leaders, the R2 Youth Action Council's mission is to promote youthdirected civic engagement through a service learning framework. Chiefly through the provision of minigrants, training and technical assistance, council leaders help fellow Richland Two students and teachers to link community issues like hunger, homelessness, poverty, and community safety to what is studied in the classroom.

A number of BHS students, for example, are currently engaged in service learning class activities focusing on personal, school, and community safety through a grant initiative called YODA (Youth Organized for Disaster Action).

"These issues can be a natural part of classes like health and environmental science, biology, English, and math, just to name a few," says Schwarzbauer. "Our health and safety are important issues," adds Flowers, "so kids ought to be taking a lead role in addressing these issues through their classroom research and figuring out ways they can take action or help inform others in our school and our community about certain diseases or disasters. Service learning really takes community service to a higher level by making it part of academic studies."

In another initiative, Metrakos led in the development of a $200,000 grant from State Farm Insurance Companies awarded to the R2 Youth Action Council to expand service learning opportunities for hundreds of elementary, middle, and high school students across District Two. He and fellow council leaders recently conducted a youth- - to- youth training for 80 of their peers from Richland Two and six rural SC school districts who are committed to simultaneously strengthening their classroom studies and their respective communities through service learning and civic involvement. They have conducted similar trainings on student leadership and service learning at state and national levels as well.

Referring to the Metrakos's latest accolade, district Lead Teacher for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, Beverly Hiott remarks, "It is evident to all who know Nick Metrakos that his character, leadership skills, and abiding commitment to service learning have been invaluable to fellow students, educators, schools, and our Richland Two community. We are proud of the work that he and the R2 Youth Action Council have done to increase classroom- based service and civics opportunities for fellow students in Richland Two."