Apr 29, 2006: NARP Honors Crawfordsville, Indiana, High School Students

Release #06-05A—April 29, 2006 (second release of the day)

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Washington, D.C.—For cleaning, refurbishing, and landscaping at the Crawfordsville Amtrak station, and for promoting rail travel in their community via editorials, letters, and public presentations, Dr. Helen Hudson’s English classes at Crawfordsville High School were honored with the second-ever Youth Rail Passenger Citizenship Award.  The Award was presented during the students’ trip to Washington in late April.  They made the South Bend-Washington round-trip on Amtrak’s Capitol Ltd.
Their stay in Washington also included a visit to the White House, and several Capitiol Hill meetings where they discussed the importance of passenger trains with members of Congress, the Department of Transportation (including Secretary Mineta’s office), the Federal Railroad Administration and others.  They made personal contact with about 40 senators and representatives and their staffs during their four-day visit to the Capitol.

The Association contributed $500 toward the students’ Indiana-Washington, DC trip, and hosted the students at an evening reception on Capitol Hill and at two luncheons.

The project was supported by an Indiana Learn-and-Serve Grant and various other grants and donations.  At the invitation of Indiana’s school superintendent, Crawfordsville Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Steele did a presentation on the project in Chicago at a national convention of school superintendents in early April.

The students also benefited from a federal TechKnowBuild grant which provided each student with a laptop computer and also stipulated that students using the laptops be involved in an authentic community problem.  Such school-community endeavors are known as problem-based learning, and so “PBL: Amtrak” found its name.

Students Elizabeth Helling and Ellen Miller gave the group’s imaginative PowerPoint presentation on their project to the Association’s board of directors, noting that Amtrak ridership at Crawfordsville doubled in between 2003 and 2006.  The two students were joined by their nine colleagues to answer questions from the board.  A total of 11 students made the Washington trip along with Dr. Hudson and chaperone Elizabeth Justice.

NARP Board Member John Mills of Topeka, KS, one of the senior members of the Association’s Board, spoke for many when he told the students that their work and presentation were the most inspiring he had seen in almost 30 years of attending NARP board meetings.  NARP President George Chilson announced that the students have been made members of the association.

The entire project involved 34 students, both this year’s seniors and juniors.  In addition, five freshmen helped with landscaping.

At the April 21 luncheon, Amtrak Acting President and CEO David Hughes—who addressed the NARP board—was on hand and helped the Association honor the students.

More information is here on the NARP website, or contact Dr. Hudson at (765) 362-3603 (home); (765) 362-2340 (school); or by E-mail.

A grand opening for the refurbished station was held Sunday evening, May 7. The mayor was on hand, and the students cut the ribbon on the station to symbolically return the station to the community.