Kristie Koehler Vuocolo
When volunteers from the I-CAN Program visit classrooms for weekly lessons, they come bearing gifts – plush bumblebees, to be specific. The bumblebee is the mascot for the I-CAN Program, an initiative between the Rotary Club of Westerville, the Sunrise Rotary Club and Westerville City Schools to educate second graders about good character.
Volunteers begin each visit by picking a student to hold the bee during the class. Although awarding a child with any stuffed animal is a great way to win their favor, there is a deeper meaning behind the mascot.
The bumblebee symbolizes hard work and a good attitude, and each week, a student who embodied the spirit of the mascot is awarded the bee. This is what the I-CAN Program is all about – using engaging lessons to build character.
“If you look at a bumblebee, the body is much bigger than the wings. For all essence, it should not be able to fly, but it does fly.” David Read, the chair of the program, says.
I-CAN origins
More than two decades ago, the I-CAN Program was introduced to Westerville City Schools’ elementary buildings. The Westerville Sunrise Rotary Club initiated the program, and the Noon Rotary Club of Westerville joined to expand its reach.
Read moved to Columbus from Indiana in 2016 and taught in the I-CAN Program for a year, all the while noticing that the lessons were outdated.
“The literature was getting tired, and it lost momentum,” he says.
In 2019, he helped form a committee comprised of members from both Rotary clubs to revamp the program.
When crafting the new program, it was important that the initiative was a collaborative effort between the Rotary clubs and the school district.
“When we designed the program, we wanted to make sure that we were reinforcing the topics that (the teachers) wanted taught,” Read says. “Not inventing new concepts… to not supplant, but support.”
After ensuring that the program fit the district’s curriculum, the committee collaborated with the Westerville Public Library to select the right books for each topic.
The lessons also became more accessible. Previously, volunteers carried the curriculum in a binder, and now, lessons are found online, allowing access for teachers and parents and making it easier to update the curriculum.
After halting the program for two years during the pandemic, the I-CAN program, now new and improved, made its official return during the 2022-2023 school year.
Breaking it down
The I-CAN Program visits more than 800 second graders weekly, from the first week of October through the first week of May. Each session is 30 minutes long, fitting perfectly within the class schedule and complementing lessons taught by second-grade teachers and school counselors through the Position Action Through Holistic Education (PATH) Program.
The goal of the I-CAN Program is to strengthen six areas of character development: self-awareness, self-management, personal responsibility, decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness.
Kristie Koehler Vuocolo
“We wanted to start with talking about you as an individual,” Read says. “Then, if you look at all six concepts, it's almost like expanding horizons, right? You’ll move out from yourself to taking personal responsibility to eventually the last unit of social awareness.”
Programs consist of both adult and student volunteers. Adult volunteers are a combination of Rotary Club participants, retired teachers and anyone interested in the mission of I-CAN. 66 high school students also volunteer with the program, coming from programs such as Interact and the National Honors Society.
With a short time period to teach and even shorter student attention spans, volunteers must be sure that their lessons are entertaining, and concise.
The program uses innovative activities to teach students without it feeling like a lesson.
One week, students are collaborating to build a sculpture out of spaghetti and straws. The next, they’re soaking hard-boiled eggs in Gatorade to learn the importance of brushing your teeth and forming healthy habits.
Collective collaboration
Although there is a set curriculum, volunteers are encouraged to use their creativity to keep the program evolving.
“What we’ve found is that our volunteers are pretty creative, and so when they come up with an alternative activity, we can post it on the (school) website,” Read says.
Before each activity, the high school volunteers kick off the lesson by reading a story with relevance to the lesson topic.
“The little second graders love the high schoolers. They’ll see them down the hallway, and they’ll hug them,” Read says. “By the end of the year, they want to know who they’re dating and what their next plans are. They really develop a bond with the high schoolers.”
Kristie Koehler Vuocolo
High school students offer support through the program, but they too grow as individuals. As weeks progress, students learn how to teach and interact with the kids, building their own leadership skills.
At the end of the school year, the program culminates with a graduation ceremony. Students are presented with medals, treats and a party to celebrate their growth. They are also given review cards of main concepts to take home.
I-CAN has been implemented in 80 percent of Westerville City Schools, and Read hopes it will one day be in every school to help more teachers make a positive impact on their students.
“We're reinforcing what (educators) want taught, and it's a different voice,” Read says. “I think they see the reaction of the second graders, right? All those things I think, make a difference.”
Megan Brokamp is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mbrokamp@cityscenemediagroup.com
