Notice:  The Shoreline School Board has rescinded the graduation requirement for 40 hours of community service for the classes of 2023 and 2024. We expect the District to review the requirement for other classes and make a decision by mid-April of 2023. We will keep you informed of any adjustments. 

Shorewood Community Service Requirements

All high school students in the Shoreline School District are required to complete 40 hours of Community Service to graduate. Please review the information below to better understand the Community Service requirement. National Honor Society members, please see detailed information near the bottom of the page for the additional NHS service requirements.

A page from the Community Service Introduction depicting some of the many nonprofit organizations in Shoreline. 

View the Community Service Introduction 2020-2021 (pdf) for an overview of the listing and tracking system at Shorewood. 

WHY VOLUNTEER?  The Shoreline School Board has made community service a requirement with the belief that all students will benefit and develop an ethic of contributing to the community through service.  Some benefits of service may include:

• Making a difference and feeling good about helping someone else.
• Giving back to your community.
• Investigating a career interest, getting “on the job” training, and discovering new talents and skills.
• Accumulating community service hours to list on college and scholarship applications.
• HAVING FUN!

WHAT QUALIFIES AS COMMUNITY SERVICE?

• Service performed at a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is supervised by an adult (over 21).
• A non-profit is a an organization that provides a free or reduced-fee service to the community. Employees are paid, but services offered are usually free. Some examples of nonprofits:  libraries, schools, food banks and shelters.
• Helping a local for-profit business does not count, even if you are not paid.
• The best way to know if an organization is a non-profit is to call the organization and ask directly.
• Community service must be earned outside of class hours. Lunch time is okay, but no other time during the school day. 

WHAT DOES NOT COUNT AS COMMUNITY SERVICE?

• Most fundraising does not count as community service (Shorewood Booster Club activities are permitted).
• Religious activities do not count as community service. (See below for further explanation.)
• Paid Service of any kind and school service for credit during the academic day does not qualify as community service.
• Hours that are required for a grade or hours required by the courts will NOT be counted toward your graduation requirement.
• Hours served before the first day of 9th grade will not count since students have not actually started high school until then. This is district policy 
• Helping a neighbor/ relative privately unless it is arranged by a nonprofit. 
• Participation in school clubs or class activities. 

Reduced Hour Requirement for New Students

Students joining SWHS from another school after the start of their freshman year can transfer service records for graduation credit. These records will be evaluated in the counseling office. Students who enter Shoreline after 9th grade without any service records will have a reduced hour service requirement  as follows:

Freshman = 40 hours
Sophomore = 30 hours
Junior = 20 hours
Senior = 10 hours

WHEN CAN I VOLUNTEER?

Summer, weekends and vacations are a great time to volunteer.  Many non-profit organizations need volunteers year-round.  You can volunteer during the day when school is out,  or evenings and weekends when school is in session.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO GET HOURS RECORDED?

Turn in forms as you complete your hours. All community service records are due to Mrs. Stephens in the Career Center by May 31 of each school year for 9-11th grades. Service submitted after May 31 will count toward the next school year. Seniors should aim to get their hours finished by mid-April, usually the last day of school before Spring Break. Watch for due dates to have your community service recorded and your records updated throughout the year.

• Find an organization that interests you.
• See the Community Service Events page for organizations looking for volunteers.
• Use the required form on the Community Service Events  page to record your service.
• Use one form for each nonprofit organization. If you volunteer multiple days for the same organization, list the day/ hours each time you serve.
• Fill out the form completely and get all required signatures. Electronic verification is acceptable. 
• Submit your form(s) via your Canvas Class of 202x course. Look in Assignments for Community Service Form Upload. 
• If you are in National Honor Society, also upload your form(s) to the NHS Canvas course. 

WHERE CAN I GET THE COMMUNITY SERVICE FORMS?

See the Community Service Events page for a downloadable pdf. You can also pick up a hard copy from the Career Center. 

WILL I GAIN ANYTHING BY DOING LOTS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE? 

Yes! There are Shorewood students who have completed hundreds of hours. Students who complete enough hours may be eligible for the President's Volunteer Service Award. Students who submit their hours in a timely fashion and have adhered to the above guidelines will be considered. For the hour and age requirements, see President's Volunteer Service Award. For Shorewood's particular procedure and details, see our President's Service Award page. The requirements for students 15 and under are slightly different than those for students age 16 and older. 

DO POLITICAL ACTIVITIES COUNT FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE? 

Student-initiated volunteer work performed for a political candidate, initiative or action group with a Washington state registered non-profit number qualifies for Shorecrest and Shorewood high schools community service programs, as long as all other requirements are met. Shoreline high schools do not actively promote or advertise volunteer opportunities for such campaigns. Promotion/advertising is allowed in high schools for non-profit, non-partisan “Get Out the Vote” and voter forums.

WHAT COUNTS AS RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY?

Religious activity means actively promoting a particular faith or religion. Many students volunteer for their churches or other religious organizations and engage in activities that are not directly religious--like set up, clean up, child care, recreation, meal programs--and consequently do count for school community service. 

IF I COUNSEL AT A CAMP, DO I GET TO COUNT HOURS 24/7? 

No. Please do not count service for 24 hours/ day. Standard maximum is 10 hours/ day. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS

The following is applicable only for National Honor Society members, not for the general Shorewood student population. 9th grade students who have a first-semester GPA of 3.5 or higher will receive letters in early 2018 inviting them to apply to NHS. If those students complete the requirements and their applications are approved, they may opt to join NHS starting in their 10th grade year. If you have questions, see the Shorewood National Honor Society website for particular information from that club. 

National Honor Society members have additional community service and tutoring requirements for all members. Tutoring hours should be recorded on an NHS Tutoring form, which is available in the Frequent Forms box that is usually outside the Career Center. Non-tutoring community service should be completed on a Shoreline School District form, also kept in the Frequent Forms box. Mark the NHS check-box on the forms.

NHS members should turn in the forms in Mrs. Dona Eddy's room, #1111. The NHS Officers will count the hours, and then they will be handed over to the Career Center and most of those hours will also count toward SWHS graduation hours. 

Community Service Hours for NHS Members:  NHS members are responsible for performing 5 hours of community service each semester for a total of 10 hours per school year.  One additional hour must be spent at an NHS-Sponsored community service event or a community service event that directly benefits SWHS.

For all NHS members and classes, the following events count toward the one hour of NHS sponsored community service:

Any Booster Club event:  Go to the Booster website. Sign up for
 concessions and see upcoming events on the booster calendar.

Mayor’s Day of Concern Food Drive (Usually September)

Shoreline Foundation Phonathon (Usually November)

Center for Human Services Toy Drive (December)

Shorewood Booster Auction (Usually March)

Shorewood College & More Night (April) 

Tutoring Requirements for all NHS members:  In addition to community service, 5 hours of tutoring are required for NHS members each semester. A minimum of  2 hours of the tutoring is to be completed each quarter.  At least 1 of the five hours of tutoring completed per semester must be in a Homework Club at Shorewood, Einstein, or a Shoreline Elementary School.  The total tutoring commitment for all NHS members is 10 tutoring hours each year.  Tutoring hours count toward the required 40 hours of service required for graduation.  All NHS tutoring hours should be completed on colored tutoring forms (click to download) available  in the College and Career Center.  All tutoring hours should be turned in to the College and Career Center each quarter. 

How the NHS/ Tutoring hours count: 

• Tutoring may be counted as NHS community service, but community service may not count as tutoring for NHS. All tutoring and service can count toward your graduation requirement.
• 10 hours of NHS community service or tutoring will count for your yearly SWHS graduation requirement.
• Tutoring may be counted as NHS community service, but “extra” community service may not count as tutoring for NHS.