Community Service: Is it beneficial for students to do community service?

Elizabeth Davis

10/31/23

Community service hours are required or suggested in many schools. However, many people don’t see the benefits of doing volunteer work.

New Tech requires each student to complete 10 hours of community service every year because of the upbringing and the history of the school. “It (community service) has been part of our founding tenets, and community service is important for lots of different reasons specifically for New Tech. Captain Waskow really gave of himself, he believed in that and working and giving to others. It’s part of why he joined the military even though he had been accepted as a teacher at Belton High School, he decided it was important to give back to the community and go into the military. So when we opened up New Tech we wanted to honor that and work in that service that Captain Waskow did and have our students also give back to the community. Because no matter what our circumstances are, we all have things to be thankful for and we all have something we can help others with.” Mrs. Winters, the principal of New Tech, said.

Our school has a personal reason for wanting students to do community service but some schools don’t. Even though some schools don’t have a personal reason, they still have other good reasons to get their students involved. Mrs. Winters says “So, when you give back, it actually does something to you biologically, it brings you joy and it gives you those endorphin highs. So, if you’re doing that in high school and you continue that service when you get into college, you’ll continue to have that feel-good. Even when you’re in a low, when you give back it heightens your happiness and joy and also will connect you with like-minded people so that it will keep you in that positive space. When you’re with people who also give back, it can connect you with more different types of people.”

Mrs. Winters also explains her personal experiences with community service and the benefits of it. “For me, the benefits are that, selfishly, it makes you feel good that you’ve given back. Also, it connects you with other people. But also, I really believe in ‘see a need, fill a need.’ I really worked with raising my kids with that philosophy of ‘see a need, fill a need’ and don’t wait for someone else to do it. I think that it’s such a ripple effect because if you do good and you help somebody then maybe they’re going to pass that on and they’ll help somebody. What if you create something big, like a movement and you didn’t even know you did it? It’s not about you, it’s just about empowering and helping others.”

It is shown that it can also be beneficial to students academically. In the article ‘Community Service Programs in High School’, authors Sally A. Raskoff and Richard A. Sundeen state, “In the area of academic, intellectual, or cognitive development, the reviewers found that participation in service learning was associated with skills development, increased knowledge of subject matter, higher-order thinking, and improved attendance and grade point averages.” This shows that students are benefitting academically from doing community service work. 

It can also help with getting into college and getting prepared to go to college. There are also some scholarships that you can receive by doing community service. Mrs. Winters also says, “I think that it’s really important, especially now because colleges and universities are not just looking at, back years ago they just really looked at your academics, now they’re looking for a bit more depth. They’re looking for more of a whole child experience, so they’re looking for you to have high grades, where you can do the rigorous work that’s in college and university, but also that you have put yourself out there and that you’ve grown and you’ve given back to others. That you just have different experiences, other than just being smart, they want you to be well-rounded.”

It is incredibly beneficial for students to be a part of their community and do community service. “I would recommend students to do community service and I think it’s important. I think sometimes, especially high school kids, you get kinda caught up sometimes in the negative space, especially with social media. It can not be good for kids. I do think that kids are such on their devices that they miss some of the bigger pictures of stuff, and so getting out and giving back is just important for everybody. I think it’s a better way to build stronger connections within a family, if you do that as a family, and stronger connections within your friend group if you do that as friends.” Kimberly Winters said.

Photos By Jayden Stilley