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CS@CCHS
Why is there a Community Service Program?Our country and our communities are committed to providing our young people with the opportunity to receive an education which will enable them to be productive and responsible citizens. One meaningful way students can learn about being responsible citizens is by serving their community. National data strongly suggests that young people want challenging responsibilities through which they can shape their character, their values, and their commitment to society. They seek a sense of purpose, of inspiration, and of fruitful connections. Beginning a practice of regular community involvement at an early age helps develop lifetime habits of service. A sense of community is so central to who we are as people that many leaders regularly call upon our youth to make values such as citizenship and a sense of obligation to others a priority in their lives. There are many benefits to volunteering for community service:
The Community Service Program at CCHS began in the late 80 ’s as a way to provide a system for linking students with community needs. Just like academic courses of study, the structure put in place was intended to help introduce students to the wider world outside of school, and participation in the Community Service Program became a requirement for graduation, just like at many schools nationwide. The School Board and the CCHS Faculty and Administration continue to strongly support participation, and continue to assist students in the fulfillment of this requirement. In addition to school support for the program, a group of CCHS parents, called 2Volunteer, was formed to facilitate the connection between the needs of the community and individual students. 2Volunteer solicits and maintains an active list of service needs on the web site. What is the Community Service program at CCHS?A student must complete a minimum of 40 hours of documented community service before graduation. Many students, however, choose to perform much more than the minimum requirement. (You can view CCHS Community Service Award winners under the Awards tab) The amount of community service a student chooses to perform is a matter of choice and circumstances. Factors such as time available, interests, commitment, academic work load, and other outside responsibilities should be weighed before deciding how much time can be devoted to community service. Summer can be a great time to work on volunteer projects, even the summer after 8th grade, before entering CCHS. Community service can be performed during the school day, after school, evenings, weekends, and during the summer when more time is available. It can be done on a regular, ongoing basis for a specific period of time or as a project in which a number of hours is completed over a shorter, less fixed schedule (Examples of Community Service Activities). One of the criteria for open campus privilege is completion of 30 hours of community service prior to senior year or completion of 10 hours of community service prior to junior year, or 20 hours before the second semester of junior year. What is the definition of community service for the purpose of the school requirement and for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award?There are many worthwhile community activities for young people, and the needs are great. Students are encouraged to become involved in whatever activity interests them, whether it is eligible for CCHS community service credit or not. The personal satisfaction and learning experiences that come with volunteer work are the same whether it is eligible or not. For the purposes of the CCHS Community Service graduation requirement and for applications for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, the following guidelines must be met. Eligible community service activity is:
Eligible community service activity is not:
Examples of eligible Community Service:
Examples of non-eligible Community Service:
If you have any questions regarding a particular volunteer activity, please contact Ms. Hammer or an Assistant Principal. How is the service recorded for the purpose of this requirement?The old Community Service Completion Form has been replaced by a form which is to be completed by the student on-line. This form is available on the 2volunteeronline web site both on the Home page and under the “Student Log Form” tab on this site. Since this form does not include a Supervisor’s signature, it is very important that the student accurately reports the Supervisor’s name and e-mail address or telephone number, for verification purposes How can I find out how many community service hours I have accumulated?Starting in the summer of 2011 students will be able to see their community service hours when they log in to the student log section on the 2volunteer web site. You can also check in the office by asking Martha. What are the consequences of reporting false or misleading information?You will be subject to the school rules and discipline procedures. Can my teacher/supervisor enter my community service hours for me?Only the student is allowed to enter their hours into the system. All teachers and supervisors who have previously submitted lists to the school office should tell the student to enter their hours on-line. How can I find out about specific community service opportunities?The 2volunteeronline.org web site maintains an active and current database of agencies and their volunteer opportunities. The “Ongoing Opportunities” tab allows you to search by category of interest, type of community service and location. These postings contain contact information, descriptions of volunteer work and access to the agency’s web site (if available). The “Special Opportunities” tab highlights those agencies that are currently requesting help for special events or because of a special need. This list changes as we receive new postings from the agencies. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to employ their own talents, interests, and imaginations to create their own community service projects. Participating in or organizing a community service project alone, with friends, with a church group, or with a club, team, class, or other school organization is welcomed. What is 2Volunteer and how can they help me?CCHS is committed to a requirement of Community Service to help teach the value and importance of service to a larger community. We at 2Volunteer hope to facilitate the best possible match between student and organization, affording the most meaningful experience for all involved. We also want to help encourage and reward those students who dedicate their time and energy to helping others. 2Volunteer can be contacted at 2Volunteer@colonial.net.
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