Some scholarships require that you *already* have completed X hours when you apply. If it's not a big deal, just knock out the hours as you go along, but if you are planning to apply for $$, it's better to have those hours reflected on your transcript earlier rather than later.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry, but my kid who was funded for a special needs school that took 1 hour 45 minutes each way to get to every single day, 10 1/2 months a year for 4 years. He has autism. He also managed to do his volunteer hours. 100 hours. There's no excuse for your kid. Figure it out.

I'm reading the comments (not yours, PP) and wondering what is wrong with you people. You want to teach your kids to shirk the community service hours? I bet you vote Democrat too. Unbelievable Karens, all of you.

PP - bravo for your son. Truly, amazing work mom/dad and son.

Anonymous wrote:If I was 17, had an acceptance at the university I wanted to attend, I would tell my parents I wasn't gonna finish the community service.

No diploma?

Shrug.

Shrug as in you can’t go to that university without a diploma saying you graduated? Okay.

OP, I'm sorry, but my kid who was funded for a special needs school that took 1 hour 45 minutes each way to get to every single day, 10 1/2 months a year for 4 years. He has autism. He also managed to do his volunteer hours. 100 hours. There's no excuse for your kid. Figure it out.

What was your child doing all this time and what will they be doing that they can’t get community service in? Do the time…

Your kid is not special and should just do the hours. Knock some out on weekends, and most over the summer. There is a reason we have community service requirements for high schoolers. It's to get perspective in life and to contribute to your community. Just do the hours.

Your kid has almost 2 years to do the hours - one of my kids did this all in the last two years- you either need to do something regular starting now your kid needs to devote a couple of full time weeks this summer.

capital area food bank is very easy to schedule and track hours. If your kid is under 18 you have to volunteer with them, but, it is very well organized and an enjoyable volunteer experience.

Anonymous wrote:If I was 17, had an acceptance at the university I wanted to attend, I would tell my parents I wasn't gonna finish the community service.

No diploma?

Shrug.

Indeed that is the outcome. They won't get their diploma. But, yes, "solutions" exist, ranging from cramming in hours sometime before graduation clearances are administered to making things up as you go. The latter has become a little more difficult. Not sure how easy it is to sail by probing eyes, but assuming your child also has an internship requirement, they could find one with a nonprofit organization and try to double-dip.
But this being junior year, I'd say your most solid solution is to find a 10-14 day volunteer commitment over the summer. How about a scout camp or youth corps of some sort. Try Rock Creak Park Conservancy or something. Not only is that an excellent and legitimate way to get those hours, but it's an actual experience, for experience sake, or to boast about.

Ask to volunteer at school, in the library shelving boos, or something like that.

Anonymous wrote:If I was 17, had an acceptance at the university I wanted to attend, I would tell my parents I wasn't gonna finish the community service.

No diploma?

Shrug.

The acceptance could be conditional depending on final transcript, and if undergrad doesn't get finished for some reason that would leave him with no official certification.

High school is dumb, but it is usually better to just jump through the hoops and look forward to getting outta there.

Anonymous wrote:My junior is pretty far behind on the DCPS community service requirement (75 hours for his class), and I'm sure he's not alone.

Does every student really meet it before they graduate? I mean, at every single DCPS high school? I find this hard to believe.
Are some kids given a pass in the end? Or given some way to rack up a lot of hours very quickly?

75 hours in 1.5 more years? That seems doable. That's 19 4-hour sessions somewhere. If he does 1 every month, he'll be done in April of 2025. If he does more this summer, he'll be done even sooner.

Aren't there nonprofits around that take weekend volunteers?

If I was 17, had an acceptance at the university I wanted to attend, I would tell my parents I wasn't gonna finish the community service.

No diploma?

Shrug.

You will see that the school will creates all kinds of random Community Service projects in Spring of each HS year mainly to "force" the delinquent seniors to get their CS hours. Most of these projects are just doing something at the school that nobody would consider real community service.

I think the problem if you can call it that is that since Covid it always seems like come Spring of each year DC government adjusts the community service requirements for graduating seniors (downward) and enough people are on to that such they are just waiting to the end.

My junior is pretty far behind on the DCPS community service requirement (75 hours for his class), and I'm sure he's not alone.

Does every student really meet it before they graduate? I mean, at every single DCPS high school? I find this hard to believe.
Are some kids given a pass in the end? Or given some way to rack up a lot of hours very quickly?