PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS COMMUNITY SERVICE INFORMATION
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COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FLORIDA ACADEMIC SCHOLARS AWARD
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- To be eligible to receive the Florida Academic Scholars Award a student must complete a program of community service work that includes a "minimum of 75 hours of community service work".
- The student will identify a social problem that interests him or her, develop a plan of personal involvement in addressing the problem and evaluate and reflect upon the experience.
- The community service work shall address a social problem in the state of Florida with preference to benefiting Pinellas County.
- All hours must address the same social problem. The service may be performed at more than one agency if the same social problem is being addressed; however, each agency needs to be approved by the high school's community service designee.
- The high school's community service designee must approve the student's plan prior to the beginning of the experience.
- The student must be a high school student enrolled in grades 9 - 12.
Quick note: Rising Freshman may NOT apply to start their community service hours UNTIL enrolled and attending their 9th grade classes after the school year begins.
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STEPS |
| The following steps are the process for documenting the community service experience. A list of possible community service experiences are listed below this form. This list should not be considered all inclusive as there are many more ideas for service. (For specific requirements concerning grade point average, courses needed and minimum SAT or ACT scores for the Florida Academic Scholars program, see your guidance counselor.) |
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1. Make an appointment with the community service designee at your high school to discuss community service and complete form #1(PCS Form 2-2602-1).
2. Contact the community agency and make an appointment for an interview and to develop your schedule of hours.
3. Complete form #2(PCS Form 2-2602-2)after developing a detailed identification of the social problem.
4. Submit form #2 (PCS Form 2-2602-2) to the community service designee at the high school for approval and dated signature.
5. Log community service hours on form #3(PCS Form 2-2602-3). The agency contact person must sign this documentation.
6. Summarize, evaluate and reflect upon the community service work experience and the persons in the community that you interacted with during this service work. Submit this information to the high school community service designee by completing community service form #4 (PCS Form 2-2602-4).
Quick note: Paper work (sheets 1-4) for community service may be given to students ONLY by their own high school's Community Service Designee or by another appropriate, designated guidance staff member in case of the unavailibility of the high school's Community Service Designee. Unfortunately, the district Financial Aid office is not able to disperse any community service paperwork to students or parents.
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WHAT HOURS CANNOT BE COUNTED? |
- Hours logged prior to the high school community service designee's approval and dated signature.
- Court mandated community service.
- High school work program and Executive Internship program hours.
- Classroom hours.
- Hours logged at "for Profit" organizations (certain exceptions apply such as nursing homes).
- An activity for which a student is personally compensated either financially or with some other material benefit.
- Simple, tedious and repetitive work, like returning library books to the shelves.
- All forms of duty within the family.
- Religious devotion or any activity which can be interpreted primarily as proselytizing.
- An activity where there is no leader or responsible adult on site to evaluate and confirm student performance.
- Coaching (not to be confused with PARC, UPARC and Special Olympics).
- Working as a teacher assistant or with students in non-academic classes, clubs or groups.
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APPEALS |
If a proposed plan is not approved by a high school's community service designee, the student may appeal the denial to the district's Bright Futures Community Service Appeals Committee, which will render a final decision on the student's plan.
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DISTRICT-SUGGESTED COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS |
All phone nubmers have a "727" area code unless otherwise indicated.
Abuse Issues:
Abuse Shelters 823-5665
Center for Survivors of Torture 479-1800 or 538-7460
The Children's Home-Abused Children (813) 855-4435
Animal Rights and Environmental Issues:
Bottle Babies are Us 831-7561
Clearwater Marine Aquarium 441-1790, ext. 230
City & County Park Services 464-4600
Dunedin Doggie Rescue 467-4677
Friends of Strays
Greyhound Pets of Am. Humane Society 595-7852
Humane Society 797-7722
Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society 522-8769
SPCA 586-3591
Sun Coast Seabird Society 392-4291 or 391-6211
Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers 449-8176 or 522-1580
Diversity Issues:
Holocaust Museum 820-0100
Elderly Citizen Issues:
Assisted Living Facilities 464-8210
Florida Elder Care (800) 963-5337
Delta Society-Pets to Nursing Homes (813) 347-PETS
Nursing Homes
Project Pups-Pets to Nursing Homes (813) 870-4188
Health Issues:.
Alzheimer's Issues 578-2558
American Cancer Society 812-7006 or 546-9822
American Heart Association 563-8000 or (800) 275-0448
American Red Cross (813) 348-4820
Frances House-HIV 895-4430
Free Health Clinics 824-6900 ext. 11064
Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services-HIV 479-1800
HIV Prevention Training 450-7260
Hospice 586-4432
Hospitals
National Alliance on Mental Illness 791-3434
Rehabilitation Centers
Therapeutic Clowning 825-1434
Legal Issues:
Teen Court Arbitration (813) 464-2611
Voter registration (800) 333-7505 ext. 6109
Life Issues:
211 Tampa Bay Cares 210-4233
Alcoholic's Anonymous 530-0415
Anti-Smoking Campaigns 824-6947
CASA-Survivors of Domestic Violence 895-4912 ext. 107
H.O.N.O.R.
Illiteracy 449-2861
Junior Achievement - Financial Literacy & Economics Sem. 530-0884
Kimberly Home,Inc. for Un-Wed Mothers 587-6900 or 443-6471
MCTFT-Multi-County Drug Task Force (800) 346-4412
Pregnancy Crisis Center
School Violence/Conflict Management 588-6198
Straight Alliance-Sexuality issues
TAPP-Alcohol Abuse
Teen Suicide 211 or 562-1542 or 344-5555
Underage Drinking
Mentally/Physically Challenged Individuals Issues:
Best Buddies (888) 648-3747
Canine Companions for Independence
CASIL 577-0065
Creative Clay, Inc.
Guide Dog Training 893-2341
Horses for Handicapped
Lighthouse of Pinellas 544-4433
PARC 345-9111 ext. 6930 or ext. 289
PAWS with a Cause
Special Olympics
UPARC 799-3330 ext. 7632
YMCA-Assisting Clients 787-9622
Mentoring Students:
Big Brother/Big Sister 518-8860
Boys Club/Girls Club 547-KIDS
CASH
City of Dunedin 298-3211
Peer Connectors
Peer to Peer 443-4751
Public Schools
Ronald McDonald House 821-8961 ext. 7674
Need-Based/Poverty Issues:
American Second Harvest of Tampa Bay (813) 254-1190
Clothes To Kids 441-5050
Habitat for Humanity 536-4755
Holiday Toy Drives
Homeless Emergency Project, Inc. 442-9041
Meals on Wheels
Pinellas County Family Resources 344-5555
RCS Food Pantry 584-3528 ext. 403
Salvation Army 550-8080 ext. 224
Soup Kitchens
Toys for Tots 340-6292
United Way (813) 274-0900
Other:
YAR-Youth as Resources 582-2163
Tutoring - ESOL:
Children of the World-Pre-School
Libraries 449-2861
Tutoring - At Risk of Failing Students:
Big Brother/Big Sister 518-8860
Boys/Girls Clubs 547-KIDS
Building the Achievement Gap 586-4682
Chi Chi Rod. Organization
Early Head Start 547-5970
Hospitals
Libraries 449-2861
Public Schools-Academic Classes
R-Club 578-5437
Recreation Centers
Ronald McDonald House 821-8961 ext. 7674
YMCA
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ADDITIONAL HELPFUL INFORMATION: |
For a more detailed list of volunteering possibilities, phone: 727-210-4233 (Ext. 4557) or fax: 727-210-4234 to contact 211 Tampa Bay Cares. Ask for the most recent"Pinellas County Teen Guide to Service Learning" brochure.
Their web site is: www.211tampabay.org and their address is: P.O. Box 5164, Largo, FL 33779. While 211 Tampa Bay Cares is not a part of the school system, the Pinellas County schools appreciates that they make the "Pinellas County Teen Guide to Service Learning" available to our students. You can always call 2-1-1 for help to finding an agency to volunteer with.
www.dosomething.org
This web site helps teens find volunteer opportunities and get involved in (or start) local projects.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE UPDATES (submitted 8-28-2006, and revised 4-25-07)
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The following is updated information concerning criteria for approving community service projects:
- Community service students working as camp counselors at not-for-profit camps, recreation centers, YMCA’s, after school programs, etc. may meet community service requirements by engaging in one or more of the following approved activities:
* The community service student may count hours spent as a leader for Boy/Girl Scouts troops at meetings or in a camp setting.
* The community service student may count hours helping the camp participants master the skills needed to become successful in their school experience.
* The community service student may count hours helping the camp participates master the skills needed to lead a safer life such as learning to swim, proper bike protocol, recognizing dangerous situations in their daily life and how to get help, etc.
- Community service students are not to have approved hours in any "for-profit" organizations. Example- Doctor Offices, Rehabilitation Centers, Animal Hospitals (not to be confused with SPCA and Humane Society). If there is a question about the organization, please call the financial aid office for verification.
- Community service students are not to use hours working as teacher assistants in a public or private school setting-no matter the age of the students in the class.
- Community service students may count hours helping students in the school setting to master the skills needed to be successful in their class work. This includes all course work the student must take to be promoted to the next level of education (includes fine arts, practical arts, physical education and business courses).
- Community service students are not to count hours obtained while working as a tutor for a student who is passing the class but wants a better grade.
- Community service students are not to count hours obtained while helping an individual learn or improve their sports ability - no matter the sport (includes individual sports as golf at Chi Chi Rodriguez, monitoring pools)
- Community service students are not to count hours renovating buildings or equipment owned or used by religious organizations.
- Community service students may count hours obtained while working as Explorers. They may count ten hours for training (meetings to learn what to do in the field) and then at least 65 hours putting their knowledge into practice.
- Community service students working at museums, art centers, science centers, libraries, etc. should have a primary plan of action that would not be considered as "simple, tedious and repetitive work". Some "simple, tedious and repetitive work" may be necessary at times but should not make up the majority of the earned hours.
School requirements:
- Once the student is an active ninth grader and a project has the written approval of the high school community service designee, there is no time limit for completing hours other than that the hours must be completed prior to the student's graduation date.
- All high school community service designees should be using the district criteria for the student's community service experience. Final projects are not required; form number four is currently used for this requirement.
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Quick note: |
Students may not begin community service work until their project ideas have been submitted to and approved by their school's Community Service designee and all paper work has been signed and dated by the appropriate people. Any volunteer work done before this happens will UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES count toward the student's Florida Bright Futures community service hours. Students should contact their high school Community Service Designee with questions. Community Service sheets must come only from each student's own school. Unfortunately, the District Financial Aid office is not able provide forms directly to students or parents.
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Call Jane Howell at 727-588-6013 about these and any other Community Service questions or concerns you may have.
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Most recent update: 6.5.08- j.h. |
