Community Service
The Hours Requirement
Nobles requires 80 hours of service for graduation. It is not unusual for students to find their projects so rewarding that they remain involved beyond the minimum requirement.
The requirement may be fulfilled any time during a student's Upper School (9th -12th) years by:
- Selecting Community Service as the Afternoon Program activity for one season (fall, winter or spring).
- Designing an approved project to pursue independently during weekends and/or vacation periods.
- Performing 80 hours (or a portion thereof) in an approved activity over the summer.
- Participating in a Nobles organized service learning trip such as to Romania or New Orleans.
It is the intention of Community Service to provide experiences for students that create sensitivity for the genuine needs of other people; people students don't normally meet. Nobles believes students who branch out of their comfort zones to empathize with people, neighborhoods, issues, and ways of approaching life (other than the most familiar) will benefit most from doing service. Therefore, students are encouraged to stretch themselves in their search for a site to serve. The Community Service Office is glad to offer advice and assistance as families discuss together the site options and nature of service their child is designing. Fill out the Independent Information Sheet to inform the coordinators of a proposed site.
The Journal Requirement
We believe that a major part of the service idea comes from the student's reflection on what happened, and what thoughts he/she has about what happened. The service is not finished until the student writes about it. In addition to the approximately ten hours per week of service for a season's credit, students are required to reflect in a personal journal about their service. The site should be described in detail, and responses to daily activity, and feelings about the nature and type of service should be explored. The journal entry document should be turned in to the Nobles supervisor by the first week of every new season to receive credit from the service for the last season. Honest, creative and self-evaluative entries are encouraged.
Evaluation Requirement
On-site supervision and visits from a Nobles faculty member are not always possible (due to the wide array of sites chosen, and the number of students participating, as well as global and summer work done). Therefore, formal, written evaluations are required by the supervisor from the site. Evaluation Forms are available on-line or in the Community Service Office. It is also a good idea, to report extra hours of work done, as these reports become part of the school records to be used by the advisor and for college recommendation letters. Click here to download evaluation forms.
