Requirements and Responsibilities

Freshmen

Complete five (5) hours of service during academic year

Service must be voluntary & can be for various organizations, (ex: churches and parishes, youth athletic clubs, elementary schools, food warehouses and meal kitchens) Service does not need to be pre-approved and student must turn in a completed service verification form. Any remaining hours that are not completed are doubled and added to the sophomore requirement of ten (10) hours.

Sophomores

Complete ten (10) hours of service

Students may complete their service during the summer before their sophomore year Any remaining hours that are not completed are doubled and added to the Junior/Senior requirement of forty (40) hours Note: when preparing for summer service hours for junior/senior year, please adhere to the junior/senior year requirements listed below.

Juniors/Seniors

Forty (40) hours combined for junior/senior years

Remaining freshman/sophomore hours year must still be completed - Twenty (20) of the forty (40) hours must be direct-contact with those who are most underprivileged. For example: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, caring for the sick, etc. A maximum of ten (10) hours can be spent in Youth Ministry/Catechesis. The remaining twenty (20) of the forty (40) hours are not required to be in direct contact, however they must still be in the service to those agencies that support the disadvantaged.

All juniors and seniors must complete projects that are approved by DeMatha (see the list above) OR if it is not pre-approved, students need to submit project proposals that must be pre-approved by Ms. Madison. Students will be notified if projects are accepted or declined within one week of submitting proposals.

Senior Notes

Incomplete hours and/or missing verification forms by March 16th will have twenty (20) hours added to their requirement and have until April 15th to complete their hours. If the requirement is not completed by April 15th, twenty (20) more hours will added and the new deadline will be May 15th. Finally, if the requirement is not completed by May 15th, twenty (20) more hours will be added and the student’s diploma and transcript will be withheld until all his requirements are completed.

Senior Service Reflection Paper: Due April 15th of senior year

Must connect their service to various articles on Catholic Social Teaching. Paper will be evaluated as 'pass/fail' by the Christian Service Coordinator. Any failures by this deadline will have ten (10) hours added to his requirement and will need to complete the additional hours and the paper by May 15th. If this requirement is not completed by May 15th, ten (10) more hours will be added to his service requirement and the student’s diploma and final transcript will be withheld until the additional hours are completed and he has written a satisfactory paper.