Beginning this year, in-school service hour options at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have become more limited as Broward County Public Schools begin to crack down on what does and does not qualify for service hours.
Community service is work carried out to better the community by an individual or group of individuals without any form of compensation. High schoolers often use community service hours to strengthen their resumes when applying for colleges or scholarships. As well as this, having 40 hours is a graduation requirement in Broward County.
Regarding what does and does not qualify for community service hours, MSD follows guidelines set by Broward County Public Schools. These guidelines are in place to ensure that students are giving back to the community through their service work. These guidelines state that the organization a student is volunteering for must be a non-profit, the student cannot receive financial compensation for their volunteer work, and the student cannot donate to an organization in return for service hours.
“I think at the end of the day, we have to keep in mind that service hours are giving back to the community,” school counseling director Veronica Melei said. “Are you, as the student, giving back to the community in some way, and is it truly through a non-profit organization?”
This year, as MSD becomes more strict regarding service hours, extracurricular activities at school have been affected. An extracurricular activity affected by this is the annual multicultural performance. MSD students who participate in the annual multicultural performance usually receive a large amount of hours, but this year, because of the new rules, they will receive none.
“You have to think, yes, you are doing a great thing for the school, and they do a great job with the dances, but are you giving back to the community?” Melei said.
MSD students who participate in the annual multicultural performances see both the advantages and disadvantages of the stricter service hour guidelines. The performance’s participation has been affected by the guidelines as well. Last year, almost 300 students auditioned for the performances, but this year, only 115 students auditioned because they will no longer be granted hours for their work on the performances.
“I find it quite upsetting, honestly, because you can get a lot of hours from it, and a lot of people do the dances for the hours, but at the same time, it shows who truly wants to do it because they love it and not for hours,” senior and multicultural performance participant Jacey Brauner said.
The guidelines set by Broward County Public Schools ensure that students are engaging in meaningful work that benefits the community without receiving any compensation. Despite the limitations, MSD students continue to work hard to collect community service hours and make a difference in their community.
