The Galt Joint Union High School District (GJUHSD) is the lead agency in a multidistrict collaborative that provides opportunities for kindergarten through grade twelve students to participate in high-quality service-learning experiences to meet community needs and enhance academic learning. Three kindergarten through grade twelve school districts are partnering with the GJUHSD in a regional service-learning initiative to form the Galt Area Collaborative, in which three rural school sites from New Hope Elementary School District, Oak View Elementary School District, and Arcohe Elementary School District feed into the GJUHSD. The greater Galt community provides strong support for this service-learning initiative, and sound partnerships are in place.
The rapidly growing City of Galt is located on the border of Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, about 30 miles south of downtown Sacramento. The student population reflects the area’s wide range of language, socioeconomic status, and cultural diversity. The participation of Galt’s students in service-learning actively supports the high school district’s mission to "ensure that each student graduates and achieves his or her goals, becoming a contributing member of society through effective personalized educational programs and facilities in partnership with family and community."
Students in the Galt Area Collaborative engage in a variety of meaningful service projects that enrich their academic studies and foster civic responsibility. Through a partnership with the Cosumnes River Preserve, students help to restore valley oak forests, wetlands, and grasslands and also help to protect threatened wildlife. Working with the Galt Area Historical Society, students, teachers, and community volunteers bring history to life at the McFarland Living History Ranch. Elementary students raise salmon to be released into the American River with the help of the California Department of Fish and Game and California Fly Fishers Unlimited. Each school campus offers both community service and service-learning efforts that are open to further development and strengthening. Partial funding by the CalServe Initiative helps to ensure that service-learning is not simply an occasional activity that some teachers use but a widespread teaching and learning strategy that is effectively employed throughout the four school districts.
