How do Upper School (US) students engage in service? Until two years ago, the school had a 40-hour service requirement for all students. This has been replaced with service built into the school year for the class of 2026 and beyond, such as the end of year service learning day organized by the Community Engagement Leadership Board(CELB).
On June 3, freshmen and
sophomores participated in a service learning day in which students were able to take part in various service- based activities.
The Vanguard was unable to find the specifics of the new requirement in the Program Planning Guide, Student Handbook, or on the Service Learning website. US Dean of Teaching and Learning Michael Chapman explained the parameters of the new requirement.
“The idea, at least last I heard, was that there would now be a progression of service learning,” he said. “Ninth and 10th graders have to participate in one of two afternoons of service throughout the school year. To get credit, students must serve and then reflect on their experiences.”
One is on November 13 and the other is on March 5th, 2025, both during Mud weeks.
US Service Learning Coordinator Sasha Lyons further explained the requirement’s goals.
“The idea is to inspire students to continue serving their communities in an ongoing way because they want to, not just to fulfill a 40-hour requirement and then forget about it.”
The new service requirement encourages students to build off previous service experiences when they become upperclassmen, she said.
“The service days give ninth and 10th graders a chance to try things out in a hands-on way, just for a few hours,” Ms. Lyons said. “The next step is to get students to connect individually with an organization and set up a relationship during their junior year. Maybe they start working with the organization regularly, or maybe it’s just a few times. By senior year, they should be able to engage with their organization more intensely as part of their Senior Spring Project.”
Ms. Lyons added that underclassmen were encouraged to explore different organizations and types of service as a part of their service learning requirement.
“Maybe a student signed up to work with, say Friends of the Fells and discovered that removing invasive species and doing trail maintenance was really not as fun as it sounded,” she said. “Or maybe they weren’t expecting to like it, but they did. It’s supposed to be about learning and discovery and hopefully about having fun with your classmates as well.”
Meredith Richardson ’27 participated in the day of service for the first time this year.
“I did the Charles River cleanup, and honestly it was really fun. I really enjoyed it because I was with a lot of my friends, and we were all doing something that we were interested in.”
Meredith said she was able to see the impact of her group’s service. “I think the cleanup was pretty impactful because, as I learned, the Charles River is really dirty, and it’s not in the best shape,” she said. “There’s a lot of trash and debris around the area, so I was made aware of that as well. I think we definitely made an impact because that area looked a lot better when we left compared to when we were first there.”
For Meredith, the new service requirement makes it more accessible to participate in service, she said.
“I think the new requirement is so much better because I know a lot of people, myself included, kind of struggle to find service opportunities by themselves outside of school,” she said.
Abby Brown ’26 feels the new requirement encourages students to make time for community service in their busy schedules. However, Abby said she doesn’t think students will be more inclined to participate in service outside of school under the new requirement.
“Obviously service is important and valuable, but students in their own free time might not choose to do it because they either don’t have the time or don’t prioritize it,” she said. “When it is a part of the school day, it is required of students to participate, so they are able to make it a priority during that time.”
CELB member Naomi Hammerschlag ’25 said students don’t often look for opportunities on their own. She also said community service is often not viewed as “cool.” “I think now people just don’t want to do [service] because you’d rather just go hang out with your friends at a beach, not spend your time at a food pantry. I think it’s important to have these service learning days because it shows people that community service can be fun and worthwhile.” While the requirement hasn’t been in place long enough to tell what its impact will be, it is a good place to start, Naomi said. “These service learning days are like a Costco sample,” she said. “It makes initial connections so much smoother and shows students that there are so many options and opportunities to serve and get involved.”
