Community service is a long-established tradition at Cardinal Newman High School. It is a vital contribution to the fulfillment of our mission statement, “To educate the whole person, spirit, mind, and body, and to help all students develop their God-given talents according to the gospel values of Jesus Christ.” Service, and subsequent reflection on it, allows the student to develop an increased sensitivity to the needs of others, to contribute to the good of the surrounding community, to grow in self-knowledge, and to make the connection between the gospel and the active living of one’s faith. Service allows the student to encounter Jesus in those in need: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Matt 25:40).”

 

 

• Service is any act of giving assistance or advantage to another. Service is using our God-given gifts and talents to help another person. Ideally, service is an extension of the Corporal Works of Mercy of the Church: “Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2447).” Service should also reflect the Church’s fundamental option for the poor among us. As Blessed Pope John Paul II has said, “The Church’s love for the poor…is essential for her and a part of her constant tradition… (Centesimus annus #57).”

 

• Service is active rather than passive in nature: the student gives his/her presence, time, and abilities.

 

• A student must not receive any form of compensation for service.

 

• ACCEPTABLE SERVICE PROJECTS MUST BE DONE FOR NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS (501c3), SERVICE GROUPS, CHURCHES, OR SCHOOLS.

 

• WORKING FOR BUSINESSES, PROFITABLE ORGANIZATIONS OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS (BABYSITTING, NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, ETC.) IS ORDINARILY NOT CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE SERVICE.

 

• ANY COURT-ORDERED COMMUNITY SERVICE AS REQUIRED BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS NOT ACCEPTABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

 

• IN GENERAL, PLEASE LIMIT YOUR SERVICE ACTIVITIES TO THOSE ON THE LIST OF “APPROVED COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS” ON THIS WEB PAGE. This list will be updated periodically throughout the school year.

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE AN ACTIVITY OR ORGANIZATION IS ACCEPTABLE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE, YOU MUST RECEIVE PERMISSION IN WRITING, IN ADVANCE, FROM THE COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATOR, BEFORE BEGINNING THE ACTIVITY. Written permission for “Alternate Service” will be placed in your service folder. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN THOSE SERVICE HOURS NOT BEING COUNTED. Please speak with Mrs. Skantar in Campus Ministry in advance if you have any questions about acceptable service, or to have an organization listed on our web page.

 

• PLEASE REFER TO THE STATEMENT ON CHARITABLE GIVING (see link above) FROM THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS FOR ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ACCEPTABLE SERVICE. CARDINAL NEWMAN HIGH SCHOOL COMPLIES WITH ALL GUIDELINES AND POLICIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

 

Policies and Guidelines

 

• 25 hours of community service must be completed each year to satisfy the requirements needed for graduation from Cardinal Newman High School. Students who complete more than 100 hours or more of community service in a particular year will be recognized at the Awards Assembly/Senior Honors Assembly each year. Service hours will also apply towards the Florida Bright Futures Scholarships. As of July, 2011, the minimum requirement for community service for these scholarships is 75 hours completed during high school. Transfer students must provide proof of prior completed community service to Mrs. Skantar. Transfer students may need to complete additional community service hours during their time at Cardinal Newman in order to be eligible for these scholarships. Please see your Guidance Counselor for complete details.

 

• A Community Service Reflection Paper is required each year. The purpose of the paper is to give evidence of the student’s personal growth or insight resulting from the community service experience. This growth can be on the human level (in compassion, understanding, self-sacrifice, self-knowledge, gratitude, etc.) or on the spiritual level (in faith, hope, or charity). The paper must be two typed pages in length, 12-point font, according to the MLA format used in the English Department. The paper should include a brief description of the service activity. The student should generate two copies of the Reflection Paper: one copy will be given to his/her Religion instructor no later than the community service due date, and one copy will be turned in to the community service coordinator with the community service form (s). Receipt of this paper is part of the passing grade for the community service requirement.

 

• A “Student Record of Community Service Hours” form must be completed for each service project. This form is available on this site (see link above) and in the Campus Ministry Office.

 

• The Site Supervisor for all service activities must be an adult (at least 21 years of age), and should not be the student’s parent or guardian, or sibling.

 

• STUDENTS MUST KEEP A COPY OF ANY FORMS SUBMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATOR FOR THEIR RECORDS.

 

• It is solely the responsibility of the individual student to have all required forms, evaluations, and the reflection paper completed and returned by the due date.

 

• Students who are active members of Key Club must fulfill their 25 required Key Club hours in addition to the 25 hours required for the Community Service program at Cardinal Newman High School. All students who are members of a school club are asked to check with their club moderators to see if a particular club has a service requirement of its own; if so, hours done to satisfy a club requirement may not count towards the school’s hours.

 

• Wherever and whenever community service is rendered, students represent themselves, their families, and Cardinal Newman High School. Proper appearance, attitude, behavior and language must be observed at all times. Students who fail to comply may face disciplinary measures as per the Cardinal Newman Student-Parent Handbook, and their service hours may not be counted.

 

• Cardinal Newman High School, its staff and volunteers, and the community service organizations, their staffs and volunteers will not be liable in the event of accident or injury.

 

• Transportation to community service activities is not provided by Cardinal Newman High School. Each student is responsible for his/her transportation.

 

• Falsifying any information on the Student Record of Community Service Hours form, or any other record of community service, will be treated as a violation of the Honor Code of Cardinal Newman High School.

 

• No more than five hours per year may be earned through donations of goods, pet food, gift cards, used items, etc. For all donations, $10 = 1 hour of community service. No credit will be given without a receipt. Gift card donations must include the activation receipt. Five hours of community service may be earned for making fifty peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless. Click here for instructions for sandwiches.

• Students are strongly encouraged to complete the community service requirement during the summer whenever possible. Once your community service requirement has been successfully completed and recorded for the current school year, you may begin applying service hours towards the following year’s total. Please download the Student Record of Community Service Hours form from this web page to take with you as you complete service hours.