The volunteer requirements, required for graduation, have reduced the required hours from 100 hours to just a 20-hour suggestion by the administration at Kennedy High School. This meeting regarding the graduation requirements occurs once a year to determine the future of the next class graduating from Kennedy High School.
But despite the quantity of hours having been lowered, the effect that community service has on students continues to be beneficial in the shaping of student’s assets and the development of essential life skills. Volunteering can open the doors for numerous opportunities and engagements that may catch a student’s eye and affect their future.
Isabella Tolentino, a junior at Kennedy, stated, “I worked at a National Honor Society table for the Harvest Festival and handed out candy to the kids from the Teaching Academy.”
In acknowledgement of this, Kennedy hosts numerous school events and school clubs that provide students at Kennedy with the opportunity to participate and engage with their communities while still keeping the service learning project, a required project that is beneficial to their community, in place.
Numerous classes such as AP Psychology, AP Human Geography, and AP Environmental Science all push their students to participate in the completion of a service learning project that is directed around a certain theme pertaining to that course by guiding them through the steps during class time.
An example of this is the AP Psychology theme of 2024. Students were required to complete a project subject to helping to relieve some of the mental health issues within our community.
Other clubs such as National Honor Society and Operation Yarn work to provide their student participants with community service opportunities such as the Harvest Festival, that is coming up shortly. The National Honor Society is hosting a “Tent O’ Treat” table at the festival in which they will be developing skills pertaining to the handling of younger children and a small activity called, “Guess the number of pumpkin seeds in a jar”.
Keila Saenz, a junior at Kennedy stated, “I think that community service is still really important for students to develop value for their communities and for college admissions purposes.”
While NHS members are developing skills pertaining to aspects of patience, Operation Yarn is going to be fundraising for more materials through the selling of small crocheted key chains. Through this volunteer opportunity, the students are going to be learning salesmanship skills and advertising skills.
Students are given the ability to work with their community, adults and kids of all ages, to develop social skills such as patience, communication, and respect towards a diverse group of individuals. These volunteer opportunities that are available at Kennedy allow students to freely participate and develop a new skill each time.
