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SCHOOL / COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS
Student activities class is a natural and logical
place for community or school service projects.
Through participation in a service learning program,
students learn that the purpose of their education is
to have a positive impact on the people and the world
around them. Students will be given the opportunity
to address important issues and then to seek solutions
to problems that may never be addressed in the
traditional classroom. Both community and school
service projects helps to develop problem solving
skills, social cooperation and to practice the values
of courtesy, respect, kindness and giving.
Service projects may be selected that would benefit
the school or the community. They can be as simple as
visiting a nursing home or organizing a play day for
the Special Olympic participants and their families.
SCHOOL WIDE SERVICE PROJECTS:
Campus Trash Campaign School
Service Project
Maintaining a clean
high school /
middle school campus is the responsibility of
everyone. Many times, schools will use trash pick-up as
a disciplinary tool to help clean the campus. However,
there are a number of positive approaches one can use,
as well. Listed below are some campus clean-up ideas;
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Students love to listen to music during lunchtime.
Label trash cans with different types of music: pop,
rock, country, rap, etc… The trash can that has the
most trash in it after lunch will determine the type
of music played during the next lunch.
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Most schools have service clubs on campus. As part
of the clubs required participation, participants
must help pick-up trash during lunch. The students
can make t-shirts that say “We Love Our School”
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Varsity sports sweep involves taking all of your in
season varsity sports athletes and have them walk
around and pick up trash in their uniforms. Many
times, athletes are the most recognizable faces on
campus, and their participation may spark others to
do the same.
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If possible, reward the students for keeping the
campus clean for a week with an extended lunch
period.
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Handout certificates for free items from the student
store for students who are seen picking up trash.
Cesar Chavez Day - March 31:
by Clarisa Gibson, San Bernardino
High School
Have each club pick a service project. They can clean up
trash in the community, help the neighbors with cleaning
there yard and making the community look good. It is a
day of service and I think that our youth need to learn
that it is okay to help others without anything in it
for them.
Food Drive:
One
component of an ASB program is to provide community
outreach programs, and a Food Drive is an excellent way
to reach out to those in your community who may be in
need, especially around the holiday season. A Food Drive
is only as successful as the publicity and incentives
you put behind it. A great way to boost Food Drive
participation is to hold a competition between
homerooms. For example, the homeroom with the most
donated items can receive a pizza party sponsored by
ASB. Once you have collected all your items, you can
call a local food pantry to help with delivery. Be sure
to only collect non-perishable items.
Holiday Toy Drive:
The holiday time is a great time to sponsor a Toy Drive for needy families. There are a number of organizations that will be more than happy to help you with your drive. In most Toy Drives, we ask for new toys that have not been opened. There is nothing better than opening a brand new toy. At our school, we usually set a $5 dollar minimum for toy donations. A great way to spark Toy Drive participation is to provide incentives: pizza party, raffle items, etc…
Season of Giving
by
Gina Bously, Reynolds High School
The school gets Christmas Trees donated. The trees are
placed in the school’s common area. Different groups of
students are asked to decorate the trees. Once the trees
are decorated, community members are invited in to bid
upon the trees. The proceeds raised from the tree drive
are donated to a local charity.
More
School wide Service Projects Ideas:
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Sponsor a Senior-Freshman buddy day
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Plant flowers or trees
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Send Holiday greeting cards to staff
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Plan a Club Pride Day
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Clean the campus
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Sponsor a luncheon for new students
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Sponsor a litter free football game by giving
litter bags
to fans
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Organize noontime intramurals
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Plan and organize a multi-cultural rally
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Provide a luncheon and awards ceremony for
volunteer
parents
SENIOR SERVICE PROJECTS:
Many schools require senior service projects as part of
their graduation requirement. Perhaps your school and
can provide some incentive to motivate seniors to
participate in service projects. A section of our
effective school wide learning results is to help
produce caring and responsible individuals. Senior
service projects is a great tool to instill such
citizenship skills. Outlined below is a basic overview
of a Senior Service Project Program:
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Students must meet with an adviser to help choose a
project.
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Seniors must commit a minimum of 60 hours to their
project. All hours must be signed-off by a
pre-approved supervisor.
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Upon Completion of the service hours, the students
must type a 3 page paper summarizing their
experience.
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Students present their paper to their respective
English class or adviser.
Senior Service Projects can include:
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Volunteering at a convalescent home.
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Working as a youth mentor.
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Volunteering at a homeless shelter or food pantry.
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Organize a community / school clean-up the
environment campaign.
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Volunteering for a teen crisis hotline or center.
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Working for a safe ride organization.
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Participating in a service project with a religious
organization.
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Serve as a big brother or big sister.
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Volunteer in classrooms with disabled
student populations.
COMMUNITY
SERVICE PROJECTS:
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Organize canned food drives
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Volunteer at daycare centers, nursery schools,
orphanages
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Help out your local elementary schools
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Collect toys for needed children (Toys-for-Tots)
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Plan a visit to a senior citizen center
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Help with the Special Olympics in your area
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Adopt a needy family at Christmas
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Plan a recycling program and donate the proceeds to
a local charity
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Plan a blood drive
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Participate in a community clean-up day
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Organize a peer tutoring project
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Donate a book to the local Boys and Girls Club
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Baby
sitting service for parents attending school
functions.
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Computer Training / Troubleshooting
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Volunteer at local libraries - story time etc.
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Work with local community service clubs such as
Kiwanis, Lions, etc.
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Sponsor a blood drive
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Work at animal shelters
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Work with the city or local organizations for
pollution detection and clean up
Student Service Projects
Organizations:
USEPA High School Community Service Projects
Do you want to apply what you've learned about the
environment to real-life situations and experiences?
Here you'll find information about environmental
community service projects, volunteer opportunities, and
other activities where you can get involved in
protecting the environment and conserving our natural
resources.
Student Awareness:
Celebrating Diversity
SHARE YOUR STUDENT ACTIVITY IDEAS
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