Community Service

Food Drive

Our Compassion in Action program in the Upper School includes a community service hours requirement for graduation. As we seek to serve others, we recognize the truth of Jesus when he said, “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). Jesus also taught his disciples the way of servant leadership. Students have the opportunity to practice this way of leading through their personal service in the community. 

Program Objectives

  1. Learn the wisdom and value of servant leadership by imitating Christ and his concern for others.
  2. Develop up-close perspective of real individual and community needs and be a witness of Christ’s love by compassionately fulfilling those needs.
  3. Gain skill, confidence, and courage by interacting with others in the community.

Requirements

All students must log a minimum of at least 100 hours (75 hours for classes of 2021 – 2024 in response to COVID-19 pandemic) between the summer before freshman year and the spring of senior year. Hours are tracked with MobileServe, a community service tracking platform. We suggest that 50 or more of these 100 hours be served in one or more causes or community organizations that are outside of The Bear Creek School community. Unpaid internships, unpaid work for a business or individual, and service hours to family members do not count toward the requirement. Service is typically given to the work of organizations such as local churches, nonprofit organizations, and civic organizations.

Lastly, here are some tips for completing your community service hours in a timely manner and getting the most out of this opportunity:

  1. Think about what things you really enjoy doing and whether you could serve others with those interests. On the other hand, sometimes service opportunities are great places to see whether you enjoy a certain activity or not.
  2. Map out a plan out for when and where you will complete community service hours at the beginning of each semester.
  3. Plan on serving some hours in the summer. This helps free up time for the school year. Some students complete the majority of their community service hours in the summer.
  4. Record your hours and request email approval immediately so you don’t forget! Better yet, ask your service supervisor to approve your hours on the MobileServe app before you leave.
  5. Check out all these ideas for how to serve virtually at school, in our community, and around the world. Contact Upper School Dean of Students Mr. Davison (kdavison@tbcs.org) if you have questions.