F.J. Reitz High School's Senior Service Learning Project
Not all learning goes on just in classroom. There is so much to be gained when you step out into the community and see for yourself what needs are out there. You will gain an appreciation for the needs our community has and might learn something about yourself as you give to others. And to help you realize that, all senior are required to complete, as part of their English course, a service learning project.
The Senior Service Learning Project requires that all Reitz seniors go out in the community and volunteer their time, working closely with mentors who are affiliated with their chosen organizations. It is a way for our students to give back to the community from where they have come and will soon be a valuable member of. Some of our seniors have directly benefited from some of these groups, but many more Reitz seniors have talents and skills that can enhance and build up these groups, making them more able to meet the needs of our community.
In March, Reitz seniors give presentations in front of a panel of community members as a final showcase of all their hard work. It is their chance to share with their judges what they gained from their experiences and how they have grown. For many, this is the first chance that they have had to do any kind of real-world volunteering and it can be an eye-opening experience for them. Past seniors have remarked that they didn't know that so many people in the Evansville area had needs like these or that many of these groups could do more good if they just had more resources. Many seniors have continued to work with their groups long after graduation because it was such a rewarding experience for them.
The Reitz Senior Project is a service-oriented project with a pre-approved school or community organization that must meet the following requirements:
The Senior Service Learning Project requires that all Reitz seniors go out in the community and volunteer their time, working closely with mentors who are affiliated with their chosen organizations. It is a way for our students to give back to the community from where they have come and will soon be a valuable member of. Some of our seniors have directly benefited from some of these groups, but many more Reitz seniors have talents and skills that can enhance and build up these groups, making them more able to meet the needs of our community.
In March, Reitz seniors give presentations in front of a panel of community members as a final showcase of all their hard work. It is their chance to share with their judges what they gained from their experiences and how they have grown. For many, this is the first chance that they have had to do any kind of real-world volunteering and it can be an eye-opening experience for them. Past seniors have remarked that they didn't know that so many people in the Evansville area had needs like these or that many of these groups could do more good if they just had more resources. Many seniors have continued to work with their groups long after graduation because it was such a rewarding experience for them.
The Reitz Senior Project is a service-oriented project with a pre-approved school or community organization that must meet the following requirements:
- A minimum of 25 hours must be given to the group or organization that you pick. There is no limit to the number of hours that you put in, as long as the minimum is met and all hours are documented. All hours must be direct contact hours, not time you were there but not working on something specific.
- All hours must be done with a pre-approved organization that is dedicated to community service. That could be a church, civic organization, volunteer group or needs-based agency. Approval of that organization MUST be done before any hours are started.
- Mentor must be someone identified with the organization and MAY NOT be a relative. That mentor must fill out a contact sheet before you start your hours and must be willing to stay in contact with you and the school. The mentor does not have to be the person that you directly do your volunteer hours with, but must be able to verify that you have completed your time.
- No hours will be allowed to be completed during the normal school day. No students will be permitted to leave school to work on their Service Learning. No work can utilize school facilities.
- Students will not collect money or be directly handling any funds. Being a part of a fundraising effort is acceptable, as long as a representative from the group is responsible for the money.
- The goal of the Service Learning project is to give to the group or organization your time and talents to help them better serve the community. To that end, you are expected to work directly with that agency in a way that will help them meet their mission statement after you are gone. Projects that only entail donated time and not talent may not be approved. The school wants to see that you leave the group you work with better off than before you were there.
- This should be a new experience. It must be something the student has never done before. While you can build on previous volunteer work, it is not expected that you will just continue something you are already doing.
