1. UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT HUMACAO
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT TEACHER EDUCATION UNIT
Special Project
Rufino Vigo Elementary School: 5-1
School District: Las Piedras
Cooperating Teacher: Luz N. Aponte
Sherley Marie Cordero López
842-06-1474
Practice Teaching
EDPE 3018
Dr. Aníbal Muñoz Claudio
May 6, 2012

2. Special Project Proposal
A. Title of Special Project: Washrooms Makeover
My project will consist in renovating two washrooms in the Rufino Vigo
School. I will be working with the appearance of two washrooms that are constantly
damaged by the students by covering obscene words with fresh paint and wall
paper décor. I will also incorporate the six pillars of the program “Character
Counts!” by decorating the washrooms with quotes that are related with the
program corevalues and at the same time those quotes will be focused on the
preservation of the project.
B. Purpose
The majority of the students in the Rufino Vigo School are surrounded by a
violent atmosphere. Those students need to feel that the school is an appealing safe
place. Some students vandalized the washrooms by writing obscene words and
other students feel bullied by this kind of behavior. I want to make an impact by
diffusing a message. I will make an effort in sending a powerful message that will
lead to social transformation. This message will reinforce the values of the program
“Character Counts!” that are responsibility, respect, trustworthiness, caring,
citizenship and fairness.
C. Justification
Rufino Vigo School structure needs a lot of improvement since it is an old
building. I noticed that there is a lot of damage in the bathrooms. They have missing
basins, walls that are broken or have graffiti on them, and they are not clean.I want
to contribute in the renovating of two washrooms of the school but I want to go a
step further by making an impact in the school community. I want to socially
transform students that will visit those washrooms.The washrooms of the school
are frequently visit by the students so I realized that this will be the perfect spot to
work with diffusing of the transformational message. I believe that there will be a
dramatic change in the students’ behavior.
D. Proposed Action
Objectives:

3. 1. Create clean and friendly looking washrooms in where students feel safe.
2. Create in students the sense of responsibility, respect and caring.
3. Transform students by creating a sense of belonging in where lead them to being
more responsible, caring and respectful humans.
Activities:
1. I will observe the damages of the washrooms and determine which damages are
accessible to target.
2. I will buy the materials needed to complete the project such as paint, wall paper,
equipment for painting, frames, etc.
3. My husband and I will paint and decorate the two chosen washrooms.
4. After painting and decorating the washrooms, I will clean the washrooms.
5. I will create hand-outs to notify the Rufino Vigo’s community the purpose for
this special project and the ground rules in order to maintain the project safe
from vandalism.
Time Frame:
Projected Dates Activities
1stweek of April Identify the washrooms to work on.
2ndweek of April Buy the materials.
3rd week of April Paint and decorate the washrooms.
4th week of April Clean the washrooms.
1st week of May Provide the school with the hand-
outs.
Special Project Final Report
A. Accomplishments
The reason why I decided to do this project was because the students were
vandalizing the last semester special project. The previously teacher candidates made an
enormous effort by fixing the doors and basins. This semester some students were
complaining about the insulting words that were written on the walls of the
washrooms.When I went to the bathrooms I confirm what the students were telling. I was

4. able to cover the vandalized walls with paint and I decorate them with childlike wall
paper. I cleaned the washroomsso the students feel safe when they have to satisfy
their biological necessities.I also incorporated the six pillars of “Character Counts!”
in order to reinforce the objectives of the program.
B. Reactions
The purpose of this special project “Washrooms Makeover” was to decorate
and clean the school’s washrooms so that they’d be in optimum condition for the
students. I realized that it was not only important to decorate the washrooms so
that they’d be safe and cozy for the children to use but also that the student’s
learned about and understood the importance of keeping the washrooms clean.
While designing the special project I was thinking how I could transform an
ordinary project into an activity in where I could change in one way or another, the
students’ life. I transforman ordinary project by adding the six pillars of the program
“Character Counts!”. After completing the project, I felt that I belong as part of the
Rufino Vigo’s faculty because I was contributing with the transformation of a section
of the school community.
C. Recommendations
My recommendations for future special projects are to get the students and
parents involved. I think that students and some parents are willing to help and take
part in projects. Another recommendation would be to choose something that will
benefit a large percentage of the school community. Also I would like to see teachers
get involved with teacher candidates’ projects. I will recommend to future teacher
candidates to create special projects in where the teachers feel that it is something
that will not only benefit the students but themselves too in order to obtain more
help and make a greater impact.