Community Service Guidelines

    The philosophy of Richland Northeast High School incorporates a belief that students who will be future leaders should have an appreciation of their responsibility to society. Such activities sensitize the students to the need for active involvement in the community and serve as a personal growth experience; therefore, Horizon requires students to be involved in community service projects of their choosing. Students are required to accrue twenty hours of community service per year or a minimum total of eighty hours in the four years. Many Horizon students have earned far beyond this amount, and students who earn thirty hours or more per year (excluding makeup hours) are eligible to receive a Community Service Award.
    The school offers many opportunities for community service, such as working in the media center. Only ten school-related hours may be used toward the yearly total of twenty hours. Exemptions to this rule may be allowed by the magnet director. In addition, students may not count their hours twice (e.g., counting a single service once for a club and once for Horizon). Students who perform for a community organization may count no more than ten hours for a single event.
    Religious activities may be used toward community service hours if the service benefits a broader community than the religious organization which sponsors the activity (i.e., Habitat for Humanity, Homeworks). Work done for summer camps can count for no more than nine hours per day.
    Volunteering for businesses that make money from the student's work is not acceptable for community service hours. Volunteer work at local, state, and federal government agencies does count.
    Students are required to document their hours on a form available from Horizon English teachers. The volunteer coordinator in charge of the activity must sign the form at the time service is completed and the signed form should be turned in to the student's English teacher as soon as possible. Only current year hours will count toward the year's total. Summer hour documentation must be turned in by September 1 and counts for the previous year. Seniors must complete all community service hours by 10 April of their senior year to receive the Horizon diploma and medallion.
    Students should consult the community service guidelines or the magnet director, Mr. Eberlin, if they have questions. Please remember to fill out and turn in your Community Service form.