Learning to volunteer their time to help others is an important part of the curriculum for students at Bishop Grimes Sr./Jr. School — so much so that it’s even a requirement for graduation.
Students in all grade levels must complete a certain amount of service hours each year, according to Cheri Haskins, director of mission advancement at the private catholic school. Students in seventh- and eighth-grade must complete 16 hours; ninth- and 10th-grade students must complete 20 hours and students in 11th- and 12th-grade must complete 28 hours.
With a total of about 340 students in the school, more than 8,000 service hours were completed collectively by students in 2014.
“Volunteer involvement is essential for Bishop Grimes,” said Haskins. “When all students invest time, we build our community and create an environment that supports growth and charity.”
Students have opportunities to be involved in a variety of different service programs throughout the year, both independently or by themselves. Some of the many service projects that have been done in this academic year are working with the Food Bank of CNY, volunteering at the MDA, doing miscellaneous projects at the Lady of Lourdes, participating in the annual St. Jude Give Walk and making buddy bags for the homeless.
This year, the program has been extended to officially include athletic teams in the service projects, though sport teams had been involved in various service projects in the past, said Athletic Director John Cifonelli.
“It’s nice for the kids because they students who might be leaders on their sport teams may not be the ones who step up as leaders in our service projects,” Cifonelli said. “It shows the kids are proud of their school and are representing it in a positive way.”
In January, the boys and girls basketball teams came together to instruct elementary aged children in a basketball clinic.
Vice Principal Patrick Kinne said that today, teenagers are often portrayed in a negative light. Allowing the students to have a chance to disprove this is something Kinne thinks is important for their development and learning.
“I think it gives them a greater awareness of their civic responsibilities,” Kinne said. “It’s also important to realize a lot of these projects stemmed from initial student interest.”
According to Haskins, there are many more service opportunities for the students in the upcoming months.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
