Community Service

Service

Through our community service program, we hope to instill in each of our students the lasting desire to serve others. Volunteering in the greater community teaches empathy. It teaches compassion. And it's an opportunity for students to advocate for causes that they really care about.

Upper School students must complete at least ten hours of service per year to fulfill graduation requirements. Each year students must perform a minimum of 10 hours of service.

• No more than 2 of those hours may be completed at Severn School.

• As outlined in the Upper School Handbook, “Severn School defines community service as work that is done without pay on behalf of a non-profit organization to help people in need. Volunteer work that does not benefit individuals in need or that is not performed in conjunction with a non-profit organization will not count as community service hours at Severn.” At least 8 of the 10 hours performed must directly benefit a community in need. Please note that work that indirectly benefits a community in need such as fundraisers or charity walks is typically not approved.

• Students are strongly recommended to secure written pre-approval from the Community Service Committee BEFORE completing hours with an organization.

• If a student fails to meet the requirement by the annual deadline in May, the student will need to perform double the hours missed the following year.

Students are expected to submit a completed Upper School Community Service Form for the hours served within two weeks of completing the service project. The completed form must be submitted to a faculty member on the Community Service Committee. Forms must be signed by the supervisor of the activity, not a parent.

Community service performed over the summer may qualify as the second part of this requirement. Students who have performed work over the summer must submit their completed Upper School Community Service Form within the first two weeks of school.