The eighth grade class of the RULH Middle School completed a day of service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. The students along with their science teacher, Joe Pfeffer, visited the John Parker and Rev. John Rankin Museums in Ripley. They did a clean-up project at both locations and were treated to an inside visit of both museums. The students learned about the struggles of both men in their quest to free slaves from the bondage of slavery. Ripley is located on the beautiful Ohio River and is the site of two Underground Railroad Museums. The tales of these two important Underground Railroad conductors paralleled the strife experienced by Dr. King who fought a valiant fight for equality for all mankind.

Students incorporated this history lesson into a “Going Green” service learning experience. Following their service project the students visited the Adams Brown Recycling Center in Georgetown, Ohio. There they toured the new facility and returned to their classes committed to complete many recycling projects slated for the spring.

All these lessons are in line with the Ohio Department of Education State Standards in science. The RULH School District is a “Model School” for Learn and Serve America and the funds for transportation for the project came from a grant the school district received from Learn and Serve Ohio.