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COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT FOR GRADES 10-12

How many hours are required? 15 hours total are required to be completed sometime between the tenth and twelfth grades.

I completed extra hours in grade 9; can those count? No

Do students on dual enrollment or other early college programs have to complete this community service? Yes, if you are also planning to receive a diploma from HRHS.

What is the deadline for completing my community service hours? You have until the end of the third marking quarter (early April) of your senior year.

Is there an earlier deadline for Academic Society students? Yes. In order to be eligible for the Academic Society, your community service requirement must be fulfilled by the end of the first semester (late January) of your junior year.

What kinds of things count as community service? Working in a homeless shelter or nursing home, volunteering at the town offices or library, helping with fundraisers for charitable groups, tutoring, working on political campaigns, etc. The definition is fairly wide (see attached list of ideas), and if you have a suggestion, we?re always willing to listen to it.

What kinds of things do NOT count as community service? Work done for family, friends and neighbors (you should be doing that anyway), participation in religious services (other activities with your church or temple are okay, if they are community service oriented), work at ?for profit? ventures (even if the work is unpaid), and activities from which you receive some benefit (for example, fundraising for a trip or hours used to earn a scouting merit badge). You cannot volunteer your time at a place where you normally draw a salary, even if the business is nonprofit. You cannot be supervised by a relative.

These guidelines are general, and that is why we use a pre-approval system for community service credit. You should have all community service pre-approved, since service that is not pre-approved does not have to be accepted.

How should I document my community service? Forms are available from Ms. Elliott (room 2016) and Mr. Cavallon (room 1038). You should fill out a form before completing your community service hours and get it pre-approved by one of us. The form will then be returned to you, and you will re-submit it when your hours have been completed. Community service will be listed as a class on your report card beginning in your junior year, and the number of hours you have completed to date will be listed there. You should let one of us know immediately if your report card does not agree with your own records.

What happens to those who don?t complete their community service hours? It is important to remember that this is a requirement that must be fulfilled, just like a class. If you do not complete your community service requirement, you will not graduate.