Community Service is an integral part of the high-school curriculum at Paly and Gunn (in the required Living Skills class), and also an important & rewarding extracurricular activity for many students.
The benefits are many -- raised self-esteem, rewarding work, a sense of accomplishment, new skills, better connection to the community, new friends, & lots of fun! In addition, Paly & Gunn are proud to recognize the efforts of high-school volunteers through Transcript Recognition & Service Awards.
Summer is a great time for high-school students (including incoming
freshmen) to experience the rewards of community service & at the
same time earn community service hours for their transcripts.
The index in the right-hand column will take you to a list of opportunities with well-known local nonprofits who welcome student volunteers. All you have to do is make the call! Most groups are
pretty flexible about matching your schedule &
talents to their needs. Just be upfront about what you're interested
in & what time you have available, & see what can be worked out.
You'll be glad you did!
WHAT QUALIFIES?
WHAT QUALIFIES AS COMMUNITY SERVICE?
Many things! The rule of thumb is that the work must be done on behalf of a nonprofit agency, and it must be volunteer (unpaid). Examples:
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Volunteer work at your school (e.g., unpaid tutoring in the Academic Resource Center, or helping out with history re-enactments);
•
Community service opportunities organized by the PTSA or by student clubs at your school, or announced in the Paly Link or Gunn Connection;
•
Volunteer work for the PTSA itself (e.g., helping with mailings or events, or serving on the PTSA's Executive Board);
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Volunteer work at any local nonprofit agency, working with the elderly, tutoring kids at local schools, working at Jordan's Homework Center, coaching an AYSO or YMCA sports team.
•
Community organizing, including voter registration & political campaigns, may count as community service.
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Community service assignments in Living Skills or another Paly or Gunn class.
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Summer service opportunities (a great time to do community service work!). Check out "Summer of Service" at YCS. The C&CC also maintains a file of summer opportunities, including community service opportunities.
WHAT DOESN'T QUALIFY?
Time spent teaching religion (e.g., in a church, temple, synagogue, or mosque) is not eligible for transcipt recognition, but may qualify for the President's Service Award.
Your volunteer hours on behalf of nonprofit agencies can be valuable in applying to colleges. Keep track of them throughout high school, including the summer before 9th grade. They
can be documented on your transcript as long as at least 100 hours are completed prior to graduation. To document your hours:
1.
Print a Verification Form (Paly only), or get one in the College & Career Center (C&CC) at Paly or Gunn. Take it with you to the volunteer work site. (At Paly PTSA-sponsored Community Service events, forms are handed out at the site.)
2.
Please fill lin the entire form, record all your hours, and have the form signed by a supervisor at the site. At Paly, please use a separate form for each agency.
3.
You (the student) are responsible for using these forms to record your volunteer hours, obtaining the necessary signatures, & maintaining the forms in your own files at home.
FOR TRANSCRIPT RECOGNITION
When you've recorded 100+ hours of service, take your forms to
in the Guidance Office, for approval & to have the hours noted on your transcript. To be certain colleges get the info, please try to do this by the end of your junior year.
Note: some activities that don't qualify for transcript recognition may qualify for the President's award. Example: the teaching of religion.
Info about this award & what qualifies as service:
