COVINGTON - "Isn't technology frustrating?" Sister Mary Norene McCormack asks her class at Prince of Peace School.

Two students, J.T. Stinson and Devon Schleyer, were typing directions for a project the class is putting together when the text mysteriously disappears from the screen. Luckily, the rest of the class was using paper, scissors and gluesticks, so the entire project wasn't in jeopardy.

On this afternoon, students in the combined first- and second-grade class are creating learning games for students at another school, possibly in the Gulf Coast area. The classroom has three computers, a carpeted area with games, puppets and baskets and two fish tanks.

Initially Sister McCormack divides the class into groups-some cut out pictures, some divide up cards with letters on them and others glue the pictures to cards. The pair at the computer continues to type directions for the game-one volunteers to work the mouse and dictate directions while the other types.

Let the Games Begin

The games are simple, but the execution is a bit complicated. Large cards (shaped like a star or box of crayons) have a letter on them, of either a beginning, middle or ending sound. Smaller cards that correspond to those larger ones will eventually hold pictures of things that make the right sound.

This is why the typed directions are so important.

According to Mary Kay Connolly, a Service Learning coordinator with Children, Inc. who is working in the class, this kind of activity-understanding initial, middle and ending sounds-is typical for children at this age.

"This is how kids learn," says Connolly. "We learn something, then pass that knowledge on," says Connolly. "Children learn best by teaching."

And, since teaching is a form of service to others, the young Price of Peace students are getting a dose of Service Learning.

Despite the flurry of activity, there is an order the project. While one pair lines up the larger cards, another pair is matching the correct sound to them. The work of cutting out pictures from the worksheets-and figuring out the sounds in that word-is deliberate.

"This is the most challenging class I've had in 39 years," Sister McCormack says. There are constant calls of "Sister" as she moves from group to group, answering questions, solving problems, all the while keeping her remarkable patience and good humor. As the inevitable boredom sets in-"What should I do?" one student asks when a task is completed-Sister McCormack urges the students to "practice patience."

Helping Other Students

When the games are completed, they will be collected for young survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Sister McCormack says that Mike Detzel, owner of the Florence Antique Mall, has been visiting Biloxi, Miss., most weekends, and she and others at the school wanted to know how they could help.

Prince of Peace has traditional kindergarten through eighth-grade classes, as well as a Montessori program. Children Inc. holds after-school programs, with financial assistance available. The school is one of several in Northern Kentucky that receive funding from the Alliance for Catholic Urban Education, which encourages enrollment and offers tuition assistance to needy students. Despite economic disadvantages, the students and parents at the school were anxious to reach out to hurricane survivors.

"We let them know what's going on," Sister McCormack says of keeping her students up on current events. "The kids realize we're all working on this (hurricane relief) together."

This simple game of sounds and pictures is an opportunity for the Prince of Peace students to learn not just what sounds letters make, but also how to work together and offer help to others in need.

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