521.2 Guideline: Youth Service Requirement for Graduation from Richfield High School

I. DEFINITION

"Youth Service Activities," as referred to in these guidelines, are defined as any activities performed by students for no pay that help meet the needs of others in the school and/or community.

"School," as referred to herein, is defined as any school in Richfield Public School  District #280.

"Community," is defined as the entire geographic area inhabited or frequented by any Richfield High School student; it might well extend beyond the confines of Richfield, MN.

II. GOALS OF THE YOUTH SERVICE PROGRAM

The fundamental goals of the Richfield High School Youth Service Program shall be:

A. To involve students in helping to meet real needs existing in the school and community.

B. To help students form the habit of participating in activities that positively affect their school and/or community.

C. To give students the opportunity to devise and pursue new ideas aimed at improving their school and/or community.

D. To involve students in constructive collaborative effort with other residents.

E. To heighten students' senses of responsibility for the welfare of others in the school and community. 

III. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

A. Requirement

All senior students will be required to perform a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of youth service between the end of their junior year and the end of their senior year. This allows them to perform their service during the summer months also.

B. Accreditation/Recordkeeping

Each time a student completes service hours, they will submit a form to the counseling office. If a student does not complete the 15 hours of service requirement by the date determined by the administration for that graduating class, they will be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony but will not receive a diploma until the Youth Service Requirement is complete.

C. Exemplary Service

Those students performing at least one hundred (100) hours of service will receive special recognition at the end of each school year.

D. Types of Youth Service      

There is virtually no limit to what a student can do to fulfill their youth service requirement.  A very broad division of places where help is always needed might be as follows:

1. Social Agencies (e.g., food shelves, community centers, nursing homes, hospitals, day care centers)

2. Schools (e.g., peer tutoring, teaching assistantships, clerical assistance in Guidance/Career Center, Media Center, High School office, hall monitoring)

3. Special projects (helping senior citizens with house cleaning, laundry, home repair, or just visiting, helping with recycling programs, producing public service videos, caring for small children)

E. School Support of Youth Service

It is the responsibility of Richfield High School to provide a variety of youth service opportunities to students.        

IV. EVALUATION

The Richfield High School administration will work with the student government to evaluate the youth service program and modify it as needed.

Dated: May 21, 1990

Reviewed: August 15, 2011; July 15, 2014

Revised: October 4, 1999; August 4, 2003; May 4, 2009; December 16, 2024