In order to insure that your service work is a meaningful learning experience, your high school graduation requirement is based on depth of commitment and not exclusively on time spent. To fulfill your requirement, you will need to complete four project credits during your high school career. A project is a sustained, meaningful commitment to one agency or cause that is focused on providing a valuable service to those in need. Volunteering after school to tutor a child in reading or working on weekends in a neighborhood soup kitchen are but two examples of an infinite number of possible projects. You are encouraged to be creative in proposing projects.

To assist with your service projects, you are assigned to a Service Supervisor. The main role of your Service Supervisor is to help you find and complete meaningful service work. In addition, your Service Supervisor will monitor your progress with a project so you need to keep your supervisor regularly informed. This can be done in lab or by email.

You may also seek the support of Marc Gladstone, Director of the High School Community Service Program, with any questions or problems that arise with your project. His office is on the 6th Floor.

Step 1: Investigate interesting community service projects.
This step can be accomplished by doing one or more of the following.
• Meet with your Service Supervisor during Long House on October 8.
• Think about your after-school and weekend commitments when planning your project. You may want to think about doing your project on weekends, during double labs, or vacations.
• Attend the H.S. Community Service Fair on October 10.
• Schedule a lab with you Service Supervisor by mid-October to plan your project
• Use this Community Service Handbook (see Opportunities on pp. 9-19)
• Check listings in the Community Service Conference on Forum.
• Talk to parents, friends and teachers about different service opportunities.
• Visit community service sites with friends.
• Learn about community service opportunities from the news stories.

Step 2: Commit to a project.
Work with your Service Supervisor to write down a description of your service project using a Community Service Proposal Form. Contact the service organization of your choice to arrange and schedule your project. If you plan on doing your project during vacation or summer, make sure you get pre-approval prior to committing to the program.

At this time, you and your Service Supervisor will develop a recommendation for the credit value of your project. The final determination of credit value will be made upon completion of your project and will depend upon satisfactory completion of your proposal.

Step 3: Perform the community service the project describes.
You begin your service project work. Periodically, you should be in contact with your Service Supervisor about how the work is going and any changes that may have happened. As work continues some changes are bound to occur. If you are having any problems, contact your Service Supervisor or Marc Gladstone to help resolve them. This can be done by lab or email.
 
.Step 4: The project is completed.
When your service is completed the following steps must occur.
• Obtain a letter of completion from the place where your service was performed.
• Meet with your Service Supervisor to review the work you have done and determine whether you have completed your project as proposed.
• Prepare a project completion summary, which should, at a minimum, answer the three questions on the Project Completion Form. Completing this form is required if you are to get credit for your project.
• Your Service Supervisor submits your project summary to the Community Service Director for review and recording.

Project Credits and General Expectations.
While every proposal is different and will be evaluated on its own strengths, listed below are some examples of one credit projects that can serve as loose guidelines.
• One full weekend experience (may only be proposed once for credit), e.g., YSOP workcamp
• One scheduled period per week of in-school service for a whole year, e.g., First Program classroom assistance
• Out of school service position of approximately 1-1/2 hours per week for a semester (e.g., tutoring, working at a hospital)
• Four pre-planned Special Events during your high school years, e.g., Dalton Community Service Committee events, Walk-a-thon(s), NY Cares Day. Your Service Supervisor should be contacted before the event for pre-approval and a proposal form should be submitted for each event (may only be proposed once for credit.)
• Summer travel / service work, e.g., Visions, World Learning Inc., etcNote: You may do more than one project during the same period of time.

Note: You may do more than one project during the same period of time.
          You may do more than one project with the same agency.
          A project is approximately 20-25 hours.

The general expectation is that at least one project will be done each school year. In addition, it is strongly recommended that at least two of your four requirement credits be earned for service done outside of school, with at least one of these for service in New York City. Through a diversity of service opportunities and environments, you have the greatest potential for learning about how your involvement can make a difference.
 

HS Community Service

The Dalton School