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Community Service Hours and Retreats

As a Catholic School in the Salesian tradition, Bishop Ireton is committed to preaching and modeling the Church’s mandate that service rooted in justice is a constitutive element in preaching the Gospel. Students will be challenged to do acts of service leading them to encounter Christ in the poor, dispossessed, and marginalized which offer the students a lifelong possibility of charity.

The Bishop Ireton Community Service requirement is not merely “service for service sake,” but stems from our belief that our students should share their talents eagerly for the betterment of society and that they should recognize their responsibility for making the world a better place. The program is designed to provide service experiences that increase in depth and intensity as the student matures. Sixty hours of Community Service will be performed by the student prior to graduation from Bishop Ireton High School over the four year course of study.

Students will also participate in a retreat each year. The focus is different for every grade.

Requirements

Freshmen: 10 hours service to be completed during the school year, five in each semester.

Type of Service to be Performed: Service to the Bishop Ireton High School community OR service in the name of the school community (group sponsored service projects such as the March for Life or Friends of Rachel.)

Retreat Theme: Class Unity. Freshmen attend a half day retreat during Orientation week. The retreat focuses on an introduction to St. Francis de Sales, Salesian Spirituality, and “getting to know you” activities. The retreat is led by seniors who attended Salesian Leadership Camp. Freshmen learn the Direction of Intention prayer and the Salesian theme for the year. The retreat concludes with a prayer service. A second activity is planned during a freshman health class. Community service requirements are discussed in detail.

Sophomores: 10 hours service to be completed during the school year.

Type of Service to be Performed: Service to the Church (local parish or diocese), five of which may be related to the Sunday Mass or service, the other five must be done at another time; OR service to a non-profit civic organization (e.g., the Red Cross). Service must be performed outside of school hours.

Retreat Theme: Outreach. Sophomore retreats are held throughout the year for groups of 15 students. The retreat focuses on outreach in preparation for the junior service hours requirement. Students go to either St. Martin’s Senior Center or St. Rita’s Elementary School and work directly with senior citizens or children. They return to BI, process what they have done, and do various retreat activities which promote social justice. The retreat concludes with a prayer service.

Juniors: 30 hours of service performed during the semester the student is enrolled in the Christian Social Concerns course in order for the teacher to provide input and direction for the service. Any exceptions, such as performing service during the summer before the start of the 11th grade, require approval in advance from the Director of Campus Ministry or the CSC teacher.

Type of Service to be Performed: Of the 30 required hours, students may only perform their hours in two places. Twenty hours must consist of direct service to the poor, dispossessed, or marginalized. The remaining 10 hours can be a continuation of the first 20 hours of service. It can also be spent in work for the Church or at a local non-profit organization. Juniors are required to make use of the CSC forms which provide a way to hold students accountable for the hours. They also provide opportunity for the on-site supervisor to provide feedback on the quality of the service given by the student. At the end of the Christian service experience, students must write a six page reflection paper on their service.

Retreat Theme: Who am I? Junior retreats are held throughout the year in groups of 25-30 students. The students are invited to reflect on more serious topics of their personal lives such as decision making, their belief in God and their philosophy for life. They are given time to do guided journaling and sharing. They also do team building exercises and conclude with a prayer service.

Seniors: 10 hours of service to be completed by the end of the school year.

Type of Service to be Performed: Direct, person-to-person(s) service (unrelated by friendship or family) service for the poor, dispossessed or marginalized, OR service which has a direct impact on the poor, dispossessed or marginalized (e.g., organizing a “Dresses for Prom” or “Habitat for Humanity fundraising drive”). Service must be performed outside of school hours.

Retreat Theme: The Emmaus Walk. Senior retreats are held throughout the year for 25-30 students. They travel to Shepherd’s Springs Retreat Center in Sharpsburg, MD, for an overnight retreat. The theme for the retreat is the Emmaus Walk and focuses on the student’s journey through life: who they are, what they believe, and their relationship with self, others and God. Several talks are given and followed by small group reflection and sharing. There is time for social activity and prayer. Parents are asked to write a letter to their child, which often is the highlight of the retreat.

Examples of Service Projects

Bishop Ireton High School encourages a wide variety of volunteering and service activities. We intend that service provides students with the opportunity to draw on and to share their present gifts and abilities and to expose them to people and situations that are different from what they already know and do well.

Service that involves working with people who are disadvantaged, poor, dispossessed or marginalized includes helping the poor, homeless, handicapped, the elderly, those who are sick, children of elementary school age or younger, and immigrants. Examples of this type of service include working at a soup kitchen or family shelter, working at Special Olympics or at a handicapped learning center, visiting a nursing home, working as a hospital volunteer, tutoring young students, helping people with their English, coaching disadvantaged or underprivileged young children, assisting at a day care center, participating in a “work camp,” or working with Head Start or Habitat for Humanity. All service hours should reflect the type of service required for that particular academic year.

There are lists of places to perform service on the BI website (under “Student Services,” “Campus Ministry,” and then “Volunteer Sites”.) This list is NOT inclusive; there are many other places to perform service.

Forms & Guidelines

All students are required to make use of the Student & Agency Supervisor Agreement Form and the Attendance and Evaluation Form, which can be found on the school website, and which are available from the religion teacher or Director of Campus Ministry. At the end of the service experience, students will write a reflection paper. The assignment will be given by the religion teacher and will reflect the themes and goals of the class.

Ordinarily, service hours are to be done during the academic year in order that the class and the religion teacher can give input and direction for service. However, it is permissible for students to perform their hours during the summer prior to the upcoming school year. Any student who chooses this option must seek approval in advance from the Director of Campus Ministry (Kelly@bishopireton.org) or, for juniors only, the teacher of the Christian Social Concerns class. Failure to obtain prior approval may render the service performed invalid for credit.

Consequences for Not Performing Service

Freshmen, Sophomores and Seniors: Failure to complete the required number of hours and/ or failure to turn in a completed reflection paper will result in the lowering of the student’s second semester grade by one level for each hour of non-performance. In other words, a student who earned an “A” and who does only 9 hours of service will receive a “B,” 8 hours of service a “C,” 7 hours of service a “D,” 6 or less hours of service an “F.” (Please note that a “C+” grade will be lowered to a “D”; a “D” to an “F.”) Once the ten hours have been completed after the end of the second semester, the students’ grade may be changed back to the earned grade at the discretion of the Vice Principal for Academics, the religion teacher, and the Director of Campus Ministry.

Juniors: Failure to perform the 30 hours will result in an “F” grade in the course. The 30 hours of service must be completed in order to graduate from Bishop Ireton. Community service hours completed after the end of the semester in which they are due will result in a grade for the course no higher than “D.”

There will be no carry over of hours from one year to the next. Seniors who are behind in their service hours will be reminded at the start of each semester that missing service hours may jeopardize their graduation plans if not completed by the published dates.