Gravette High School's Community Service Learning offers students the support and opportunity to serve the local community, all while earning credit toward graduation.

What is CSL?

Community Service Learning is a new graduation requirement created by the LEARNS Act. Beginning with the graduating class of 2027, students are required to complete 75 community service hours to earn a diploma (Act 237 of 2023, pages 38-39). The law includes that students will earn 15 hours of community service in 9th grade, and 20 hours of community service in each of the years for grades 10, 11, and 12 to equal 75 hours of service required for graduation.

What are the requirements?

1. Partner with a school or community organization that provides a service benefiting the community members near you. Community organizations should be screened and approved by parents.

2. It is the student's responsibility to keep up with and track their individual hours. Once you have reached your acquired hours for the year, use the CSL Student Record form for tracking purposes.

3. Once you have reached the required amount of service credits for the current school year, you will physically turn in any certificate or form documenting your service hours to Academic Success Coach, Fernanda Torres, as well as, copy that information into the Community Service Documentation online platform. It is mandatory that both forms (physical paper copy & online) of documentation be completed.

Parents ‼ Please make sure you review the Parent Slide Deck below under Resources. It is a crucial step in understanding the full scope of requirements of the Community Learning Service ACT.

FAQs

Who do I contact with questions?

• Contact Principal Shannon Mitchell or Academic Success Coach, Fernanda Torres. Staff emails can be found here.

What is NOT considered community service learning?

• Mowing grandma's lawn, painting your neighbors fence, helping a community member move homes, taking out the trash for a business, etc.

What is the difference between community service and service learning?

• Many people confuse the term “service-learning” with “community service,” but they're quite different. The key is the word “learning.” Service-learning combines classroom learning goals and community service in a way that enhances or benefits both the student and the community. Every activity reinforces the curriculum and back in the classroom, students have the chance to reflect on what they've learned. While one can learn while volunteering or doing community service, in these cases the learning is tangential and doesn't directly link to the classroom. Volunteering or community service also focuses primarily – sometimes only – on the recipient of the service. To learn more about what service learning is watch this video!

How do I get a site approved?

• Have the potential partner agency fill out this form.
  

  • Once submitted, GHS will approve or deny the application. If approved, you will be notified.

Where do students find a list of ideas?

• Students can reach out to the organizations. Some organizations may post on social media or have information on their websites. JustServe.org is one that

  allows many community agencies to advertise options for free. You can search their site by our zip code for local events. All

  of your options should be closely monitored and vetted with your adult guardian or parent.

  
  

Can students receive volunteer hours for activities during school hours?

• Yes. Students may complete their hours during school hours.

How can a school district employee certify my service hours?

• Any district employee including bus drivers, paraprofessionals, teachers, principals, etc. who are present where you are serving can be the person who authenticates or certifies your service.

Can I serve in a local elementary school, middle school, junior high school, etc.?

• Please do not call or email our K-8 schools or teachers to ask about opportunities. This can cause an excessive call volume for them. If they have an event where they need help they will reach out to GHS or contact related club sponsors directly. Go to the school website> Schools> Menu> Staff to email the individual. Or look at our CSL Local Partner Sites.

What are examples of sites that guardians or parents can approve?

• Most places a student might serve will involve an agency with a “non-profit” or 501c3 status but that is not always the case. A “for-profit” nursing home could be a good place to volunteer. City events like Gravette Day or a 5K run are good examples of events requiring many volunteers. You can find these options with online research. There are no absolute rules on this other than our safety protocols. Please review our safety protocols in our parent slide deck.

Can service reported for the National Honor Society or other clubs be used for this requirement?

• Yes. A student can report the same activities to different groups requiring service logs. Example: A student can volunteer at Gravette Day and report those hours to National Honor Society, FFA, and this community service graduation requirement.

Why do we have to write a reflection and connect this to a class?

• COM-24-021 Commissioner’s Memo of 8/30/23 states

  that, "Students are also required to provide details about their community service projects, including their preparation, actions, and reflections."

Can this service be completed during the school day?

• Yes. Some classroom projects, activities, field studies, and events will qualify for community service hours. Example: Family and Consumer Science students may make bears that they donate to state troopers to use to console small children involved in accidents or traumatic events.

If we earn more than 15 hours in the freshman year do the hours “roll over” to another year?

• Yes!

Do you have a sample student reflection submission?

• A student submits one reflection that is a minimum of 500 characters or 5 sentences. Even if you serve at multiple agencies or events you only make one reflection entry on your documentation form submission. A sample reflection is included here.

Example 1: In oral communications, we practiced speaking, listening, and collaborating skills. While on student council, I used these skills extensively in planning and executing multiple activities such as school dances where I set up food tables and planned snacks, spirit weeks, and community service events. I had to understand what my sponsors and student-body president were asking me, plan how to make it possible, and communicate verbally and electronically to the people around me the way we were going to make it possible. While assisting at swim meets, my role was to clearly communicate the needs of our volunteers to the hospitality team and assist in filling those needs.

Example 2: The service hours that I contributed to the Bentonville Public Library provided me with many things. In addition to learning how to sort library titles, organize by the dewey decimal system, and data entry, I learned how to communicate with others and felt like a productive member of society. I was tasked with leading the Library Lego Club for children and was able to work with people of all ages. I worked with adults in managing the Lego Club and requirements needed, and I also worked with the children and managed their expectations while making it fun. Working with the library staff paved the way for me eventually getting a job and helped me to know how to communicate with people and follow directions. I utilized written, verbal and nonverbal communication skills. I also learned to better interpret the written, verbal and nonverbal communication skills of a variety of community members interacting in the library.