EHS Community Service Letter (9-12)

The Service Letter Schoology Page is our main way of sharing program reminders and current volunteer opportunities with students. Join using our access code:5C7X-829S-2NVWK

This means that 50% of the hours must be around one central issue. The other hours can be about other issues or the same one. A social issue can be the environment, homelessness, poverty, equity, literacy, animal welfare, community safety, elders, hunger, immigration, special needs and disabilities, health, or another community problem that the student views as an issue they would like to address.

EXAMPLES:

Social Issue: Closing the Achievement Gap
Community Service: Tutoring grade school students

Social Issue: Leadership and Social/Emotional Support
Community Service: Leading youth group for a religious organization

Social Issue: Disabilities
Community Service: Coaching a teen in Special Olympics

Social Issue: Physical Health
Community Service: Counseling at outdoor camp

Yes! Singing is counted as community service. You can only count up to 60 hours total of performance towards your service letter (practices and meetings do not count). 

Why this change? The vast majority of school districts in the United States and national nonprofits such as Future Farmers of America and United Way do not allow singing in the church choir to be counted as community service. While there is great value to serving others through music, the Edina Community Ed Service Letter program emphasizes service as outlined in Minnesota Statue 124D.19 which includes services for the elderly, tutoring and mentoring, training for providing emergency services, services at extended day programs, and environmental services. 

Service hours are cumulative from grades 9-12. Students can carry hours over to the next year if they exceed 120 hours or if they do not complete 120 hours in a given year.

Yes! Student begin counting their service hours after the last day of school as an 8th grader.

Yes! Students can earn up to four service letters, one each school year in grades 9-12. Only one service letter is awarded per year.

They may count, as long as the volunteer hours are optional. If the service hours are required for participation in a sport or other activity then they cannot count for the Community Service Letter.

Yes! A senior can put the community service letter on college applications and resumes. It can be listed as "Prospective Community Service Letter Recipient, Spring 202x". 

Please only count the hours you are actively doing the service work (don't count sleeping, food breaks, etc.). Most camps and service trips are 6-10 hours of volunteer work per day.

Donating food, clothes, and money itself does not count as community service. However you can organize a donation drive and then count those hours toward Service Letter. 

You can count up to two hours per day of fostering an animal. This includes active care time like feeding, grooming, walking, playing, etc. 

Only count the hours you are actively doing the service work (don't count sleeping, food breaks, etc.) Students can log up to 10 hours of volunteer work per day. 

If you participate in a school club, youth group, scouts, etc. you may count hours spent at meetings organizing and implementing a service project. Only hours spent planning and participating in a service project will count as community service hours. 

For the '23-24 school year, managing a team sport at EHS will not count as service. Managing a team sport at an elementary, middle school, or nonprofit organization instead are great opportunities for service!

- Paid, mandatory or court-ordered community service

- Community service that gives you academic credit hours

- Volunteer hours that apply toward another Varsity Letter (ex. sports team managers, participants in theater or choir performance). 

- Fundraising that benefits you

- Travel time to and from service activities

- Hours spent sleeping during overnight service trips or camps. You may count up to 10 hours maximum per day. 

- Unpaid internships with for-profit companies

- Hours spent in meetings or trainings unless you were planning or participating in service activities

- Household chore or service to people living in your home