High School Community Service Requirement

[Senusret I]

Did your high school have a community service requirement for graduation?

If so, how many hours?

Did you agree with it?

The DC Public Schools instituted a community service requirement with the class of 1995 (I believe), so by the time my class came around, we were prepared for it. Even though, of course several students were scrambling in June to find something to do.

I performed a few of my hours as a Freshman through JROTC and another random program. But most of mine came from being a Junior Counselor for HOBY. (Hugh O'Bryan Youth Leadership Program)

My HS required a minimum of 80 hours of community service for graduation.

I volunteered as a candy striper at the hospital and went back to my old middle school and helped teachers with projects and coached cheerleading.

I suppose I agreed with it. It was Catholic school, after all.

How funny, Rashid. I was a HOBY leader too!

[catiebug]

It must be the two glasses of really crappy wine I had earlier (Arbor mist, anyone?), but I read that you were a candy stripper...

Originally Posted by OTW

My HS required a minimum of 80 hours of community service for graduation.

I volunteered as a candy striper at the hospital and went back to my old middle school and helped teachers with projects and coached cheerleading.

I suppose I agreed with it. It was Catholic school, after all.

How funny, Rashid. I was a HOBY leader too!

[ThetaPrincess24]

I did not, nor did husband, but our oldest son does have that requirement. He has to have so many documented service hours a year.

[KSigkid]

Mine did not, but it was part of the requirement to be considered for NHS. I volunteered for a couple of years at a local elementary school, and helped run some canned food drives.

[epchick]

No my high school didn't have a community service requirement for graduation (nor does it have now). Although like KSigKid, if you were part of NHS, French NHS, Spanish NHS, or the like you were required to do community service.

[LucyKKG]

My district required 40 hours by the time you graduate from high school. Some people were always scrambling at the end (like my sister), but come on, that's 10 hours a year! I ended up with 201. Most were from stuff with my Norwegian club, and I got a ton from being a counselor in training. (Hey, I wasn't getting paid!)

[knight_shadow]

My high school didn't require it, but the organizations that I was a part of (NHS, Leadership Academy, PALS, among others) did require service. I ended up with several hundred hours because of these groups.

[KSUViolet06]

My HS did not require it for graduation, but it was required if you wanted an Honors diploma.

[beautifulnite12]

Depending on the program you chose for your senior year from my high school, (ex: school to career, college prep, etc.) there were varying community service requirements for graduation. If you chose to apply for early release (leaving at 12pm) for school to career (work or internship) you had 40 hours to complete. If you were college prep, I think it was 60.

[EagleChick19]

I didn't have any graduation requirements in high school, but the charter school I work at does.

The charter high school has a 60 hours requirement. The kids can either do it at one time, or split it up over four years.

Here's a link to the graduation requirements: http://www.agcharter.org/page.cfm?p=35

[deadbear80]

We were only required to do Community Service to be a part of Freshman Honor Society, Sophomore Honor Society, or NHS (provided, of course, your grades were good enough to get in any of the 3 orgs).

While I believe they did not when I was in school (since I grew up in the 'burbs and not in the city itself) I do know that the Chicago Public Schools require 40 hours of community service (as do the alternative high schools that are affiliated with them as well).

I think it's important in this day and age for kids to realize that it's not always 'about them'. I also think that the right community service choice could lead to a possible career path/opportunity down the line.

*This is of course coming from someone who did 60 of her required hours (10 each for Frosh and Soph honor society and 40 for NHS) in high school and went on after college to do Americorps (and did over 2000 hours of service)

[TexasWSP]

Had to do community service for National Honor Society.

[Kevlar281]

I accumulated a massive amount of detention hours my senior for being late to class. It got to the point where realistically I couldn’t serve all my detention hours with the amount of school days that were left. If I wanted to walk I had to do community service in place of detention. I ended up doing community service through my church.

[PeppyGPhiB]

When I graduated in '96, my hs did not have a community service requirement - but I still had more than 400 hours on my transcript by the time I graduated. Now the district has a 40-hour minimum requirement.