THE FRANCES WARDE SERVICE LEARNING PROGRAM Compassion and service are among the core values at Mercy High School. Thus, personal reflection, relationships, and a generous response to the needs of others are the foundation of service learning at Mercy. In the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy and in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, our students are given the opportunity to experience service learning by sharing their time, talent, and treasure with our neighbors in need. Students are required to complete a minimum of 50 hours of service (not including school-wide service events and drives), and they may choose to complete these hours in one of two ways: m All 50 hours of direct service at one agency m At least 30 hours of direct service at one agency plus 20 hours of indirect service at multiple agencies/locations
Students submit a proposal for approval to the Service Learning Committee explaining their anticipated service activity. Once students begin their service, they are expected to meet the posted deadlines regarding completion of a specified number of hours within a certain time period. In addition to serving for at least 50 hours, students are required to complete a culminating project. Students may choose one of the following culminating projects to be presented at a Service Fair in the spring semester of their junior year: m A PowerPoint™ presentation or a tri-fold poster that displays her service work, including photos and information about the agency
m A three to five page reflection paper that contains thoughtful insight regarding the student’s service
m Another project which the student proposes, and which the Service Learning Committee approves, that displays the student’s service learning experience.
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