Edina Service Stars

Our website would be the best place to receive all information on the program. To view the webpage:

The Edina Community Education Webpage. Then click on Get Involved - Volunteer.

A minimum of 60 hours within one year are required to be eligible for the Edina Service Stars Program Certificate. 

No, students have one year to complete their volunteer service hours.

Students entering grades 6th to 8th for the upcoming school year.

Yes! Students who meet the program requirements each year can earn up to a total of three certificates, one each school year in grades 6-8.

No, when an 8th grader graduates from middle school, they are considered high school students. The summer before transitioning to 9th grade (EHS), 8th graders are high school students, so only eligible for the Community Service Letter Program.

Great news—singing and performing in your faith community does count as community service!

Restrictions & Limits:

• You can count a maximum of 30 hours of actual performance toward your service hours.
• Practice and meeting time is not eligible.

This change helps us align our guidelines with Minnesota Statute 124D.19 and the policies of most U.S. school districts. The ESS program designates service hours as time spent on activities like tutoring, mentoring, elder services, environmental work, etc.

Volunteer hours performed for a faith community, sports team, band, choir, or school play can count as community service toward the letter, with one major condition:

• The volunteer hours must be entirely optional.
• If the service is required for participation in a sport, academic class, or any other activity, the hours cannot be counted for the Community Service Letter.

When participating in a mission trip or camp counseling, you can only count the time you are actively doing service work.

• Do not count: Time spent sleeping, eating, taking breaks, etc
• Daily Limit: Students cannot count more than 10 hours of service per day, regardless of the total hours the trip or camp may suggest.

Most camps and service trips typically involve 6–10 hours of volunteer work per day. Please track your hours carefully to reflect only your active service time.

Simply donating items (food, clothes) or money does not count toward the ESS hours.

However, students can count planning hours towards their ESS hours if they organize and manage a donation drive themselves.

Good news! Fostering an animal does count toward your service hours.

Students are permitted to log up to two hours per day for active care time, which includes activities such as feeding, grooming, walking, and playing with the animal.

Service hours must reflect active work only. Do not include time for sleeping, meals, or travel.

Students are permitted to log a maximum of 10 volunteer hours per day.

1.     Mandated or Compensated Service: Any work that is required for employment, court-ordered, or for which the student receives monetary compensation.

2.     Academic/Award Overlap: Activities that yield academic credit or apply toward the requirements for any other Varsity Letter designation (e.g., team management, performance roles).

3.     Personal Gain: Fundraising that directly benefits the individual student or their team.

4.     Ineligible Organizations: Unpaid internships conducted with for-profit businesses.

5.     Household Duties: Chores or service performed for residents within the student's personal home. This includes extended family members as well.

6.     Non-Active Time: Hours allocated for traveling, sleeping, mealtimes, or general training/meetings that do not involve active planning or participation in a service event.