Community Service
Community service at Stuart Hall High School embraces the Five Goals of a Sacred Heart education with particular emphasis on Goal Three: “A social awareness that impels to action.” Students engage in a variety of service activities that encourage them to more fully appreciate others and more conscientiously care for the environment. Through reflections and discussions, we help our students grow in self-awareness and care of the others. Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ, once wrote: "Try to render all possible service to others, not talking of the thing, but doing it. If you are known to be a person who loves to serve, many opportunities will come in your way, to your great inconvenience perhaps, but to your far greater profit and instruction." It is our sincere hope that our students grow as persons who love to serve.Service Information
- Summer Intern: SF Mayor's Office Hide
The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services (MONS) is looking for a few smart, thoughtful,
motivated, and politically savvy interns to contribute to our team this summer. Could this be you?
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: SUMMER INTERNS
MONS is dedicated to helping the citizens of the City & County of San Francisco receive the highest levels of service possible from all areas of City government. Our district and community liaisons work to ensure that the Mayor's Office is involved with helping to improve the quality of life for all San Francisco’s residents.Interested? Download the PDF Flyer under "Downloadable Forms."
- Coastal Clean Up Day Hide
Every year Stuart Hall and Convent high school students, faculty, staff, and families gather at Land's End/Sutro Baths to clean up beaches on Coastal Clean Up Day. Students and faculty from Sacred Heart schools in Atherton also join in the effort. IN all we have nearly 100 people volunteering to keep our beaches clean. Please join us this year - Saturday, Septebmer 20, 2008 from 9:00 am to Noon. Food and drinks supplied. If you plan on volunteering please contact Ray O'Connor at (415) 345-5817 or oconnor@sacedsf.org
- Service Requirments Hide
Keeping with the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education, Stuart Hall High School implemented community service requirements to develop an attitude of care and compassion. These are only minimum requirements. In most cases, students will far exceed the minimum.
- The minimal required hours for community service are 20 school, 20 support, and 35 heart. These 75 total hours are to be completed by the end of junior year.
- The categories are divided as follows:
- School Hours - Any volunteer hours specifically dedicated to school activities like Open House, Digital-Arts Festival, Celebrate Spring, etc.
- Support Hours – Any volunteer hours involving coaching, tutoring, races, library work, meal preparations, animal care, etc.
- Heart Hours – Any volunteer hours involving person-to-person contact such as shelter meal programs, elderly care, hospital care, mentally challenged care, etc. These hours directly address the goals of a Sacred Heart education and therefore require a greater number of hours.
- Satisfying each required category:
- Students are encouraged to take responsibility for satisfying all community service hours. Some opportunities will be provided throughout the school year. However, it remains the student’s responsibility to satisfy all hours. If a student needs a place to volunteer, the Community Service Director will provide assistance.
- Students need to complete a Community Service Form for all service activities. A supervisor’s signature and telephone number are mandatory. In the case of “heart” hours, students may also be asked to complete a Reflection Form. Hours are not recorded without completed forms. Forms that are not completed in a timely manner may result in the forfeiture of those particular hours.
- All forms are available from the Community Service Director or on line.
- A student who does extended service work like the Sacred Heart Network’s Summer Programs, Summer Immersion Programs to Mexico, weekly tutoring, weekly library work, etc. may satisfy the minimal required hours in a particular category with the prior permission of the Community Service Director. In no way should a student assume that any extended service will automatically lead to the fulfillment of all required hours in a particular category.
- A supervisor may not be a parent or family member.
- When hours are completed and forms received, those hours will be recorded in student files kept by the Community Service Director. Progress reports will be sent out quarterly for all juniors and each semester for all students.
- Transfer Students receive modified minimal requirements:
- Sophomore transfers – 50 hours total: 15 School; 10 Support; 25 Heart
- Junior transfers – 25 hours total: 05 School; 05 Support; 15 Heart
- Senior transfers – 25 hours total: 05 School; 05 Support; 15 Heart
- School community days where classes are suspended for the sake of community service do not apply to a student’s minimal hour requirement.
- If hours are not completed by the end of junior year, disciplinary action may follow. Such action will be determined by the school’s administration.
- Service Site Links Hide
These links help direct you to service opportunities. Please inform the service director of any service you do by having a service form completed at the time of service.
www.volunteermatch.org This site finds service opportunities using zip codes.
San Francisco Parks & Recreation Newsletter - Ongoing service opportunities listed on page 5 and good through August 2008
San Francisco Green Connect - Environmental service opportunities in the city of San Francisco sponsored by the mayor's office. (Support Hours)
San Francisco Homeless Connect -The mission of Project Homeless Connect is to rally the city to support and create lasting solutions for homeless San Franciscans. (Heart Hours)
San Francisco Tech Connect - Promote digital inclusion within all of San Francisco’s socio-economically diverse communities and enable all residents to benefit from access to the Internet and information technology. (Heart Hours)
San Francisco Youth & Family Connect - Links schools and youth to the community as well as improve the academic and employment opportunities available to youth.
Friends of the Urban Forest Calendar - We need volunteers to help plant trees in neighborhoods throughout the city. Breakfast/lunch is provided!
Parks Conservancy Volunteer Information - This link provides what service opportunities are available in the Golden Gate National Parks in San Francisco.
- Student Reflections on Service Hide
The following are direct quotes (corrected for grammar and syntax) that students wrote about service. They permit us a glimpse into how the values of a Sacred Heart Education impact and shape young men. Enjoy.
Compassion has been the one thing that has been instilled in me since starting at Stuart Hall. Before Stuart Hall, I had never volunteered in a soup kitchen, I had never cleaned up a local park, and I certainly had never had the opportunity to work alongside kids in an elementary school. I was, to be blunt, completely focused on myself and my community of friends who pretty much like me. So on our first Community Service Day freshman year I found out that I was assigned to Glide Memorial to work in the soup kitchen. When I heard this, I am ashamed to say, I very nervous. I thought to myself, “What if one of these bums attacks me?” So when I got there I served the food filled trays with my head down, trying to avoid all eye contact. With every tray I handed out I received a heartfelt thank you. With each “thank you” I received, I gained a little confidence and lost a little fear. It got to the point where I could make small talk in the brief moments that I had with these people. One man in particular I talked to more than the others because he came back for seconds. I do not remember his name but I do remember what he looked like. He was a short black man with unkempt hair. His face had pockmarks and he had a scraggly beard. He was wearing an overly large camouflage jacket and army boots. When he went through the line for the second time he took the food, saluted me with his weathered hand and said, “Thank you, sir!” in an “army” tone of voice. I cracked up. When it was our turn to eat our supervisors encouraged us to mingle with the people there, so I did. I sat down next to this guy and we started talking and by the end of my meal we were cracking jokes between one another. After leaving Glide that day I realized that the people there were exactly that, they were people just like me. Unlike me however they were in an unfortunate situation, but that was it. That is the only difference I could see. (Senior, class of 2008)
