Service is an integral to being a disciple of Jesus Christ and is an expression of Mercy, Feehan’s charism. We are not simply invited to serve others; to be a disciple, we must serve. It is through acts of service that we recognize the needs of another, become self-aware of our most vulnerable members of society, and ultimately walk with another in solidarity.

 

Within the Roman Catholic tradition, service is expressed pre-eminently through the Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. We hope to have the student involved in as much direct service as possible.

• Direct service: hands-on work with people, especially the suffering and needy (e.g., serving food at a shelter; visiting the elderly at a nursing home)
• Indirect service: work which can help the needy, but does not necessarily involve them (e.g., organizing a food drive; filing paperwork at a nursing home)

 

 

We include a Graduation Service Requirement in order to build lifelong habit of service, therefore at Bishop Feehan High School we refer to the overall program as Service Learning.  

Throughout their Theology coursework students learn through the teachings of Jesus Christ what is asked of them. Each student learns that as disciples of Christ we are called to:

• embrace all who enter our lives; 
• be compassionate to the vulnerable;
• develop our own understanding of our world. 

We are asked to love one another and to find Christ in all we encounter.  Our students are exposed to this rich history and tradition through all four Theology courses.

The practical application of the years of coursework is service.  Through service a student not only learns about the needs of others but also learns about themselves;  who they are and hope to become.  As a graduate of Bishop Feehan, students are poised to “go and serve.”  They are equipped with the knowledge that we are part of larger communities and need to respond to the needs of those communities.

 

This document is designed as a comprehensive overview of the Graduation Service Requirements for our students.  We empower our students to be responsible for their own service learning.

 

It is the student's responsibility to enter their hours.  All hours are expected to be completed BEFORE the senior year. Failure to complete the required hours will jeopardize the students’ attendance at the Graduation ceremony.

Service hours have been modified from the original 60 hour graduation requirement due to COVID restrictions and program changes. We have spread out the hours over the class years as a guideline for students. 

Students have been or will be trained on x2Vol and on the type of service that will be accepted to fulfill the graduation requirements.

 

Transfer Students

Transfer students receive “credit” for the years they were not as Feehan.  Specific Opportunities are listed in X2Vol for transfer student credit.

 

Class of 2023 must have 15 hours by the beginning of September 2021. 

Graduation Service Requirement for the class of 2023 is a total of 40 hours. 

Note: Class of 2023 had a 15 hour Freshman year requirement.

 

Class of 2024 have completed an alternate service project in their Theology classes and are not required to complete service hours this year. 

Graduation Service Requirement for the class of 2024 is 40 hours.

Note: All freshman classes were trained on x2Vol spring 2020.

 

Class of 2025 will complete a service project in their Theology classes and are required to complete 10 service hours this year. 

Graduation Service Requirement for the class of 2025 is 50 hours.

 

Class of 2026 will complete a service project in their Theology classes and are required to complete 10 service hours this year. 

Graduation Service Requirement for the class of 2026 is 50 hours.

Note: All freshman classes will create an account and be trained on x2Vol in first semester 2022. Please use this form to track hours until the students have a log on for x2VOl

Service is offering the gift of your time at a non-profit organization which helps a population in need. We look to have students serve in an area that broadens their experience to create a wider world view. It is great to give back to a community in which the student belongs, but it deepens their learning when service is a new experience at a new location/organization..

Examples:

• Your parish or place of worship
• Town youth programs
• YMCA
• Food pantries
• Soup kitchens
• Town clean-up
• Organized assistance of the elderly or handicapped to assist with home care and daily living.

Students will have many opportunities to volunteer at Bishop Feehan or through programs at Bishop Feehan. Opportunities include the Open House, Santa Shop, Parent Nights, Campus Ministry events, Project Unite, teams and clubs.

Although students can volunteer in a variety of ways there are some events that we do not consider service.

Examples:

• Volunteering to help at a for profit organization/company (even if not paid)
• Specific political campaign support (“get out to vote” is considered service)
• Fundraising
• Babysitter (even if not paid) 
• Helping out one's own family including grandparents including snow removal and lawn care (this is wonderful but it is not serving the wider community)

As a service learning program, the expectation is that students will serve at a variety of sites to broaden their learning.  This will provide a wider range of opportunities for each student to discover the gifts and talents they have received from God and how they can use those gifts to serve others.

A maximum of 35 hours (30 for the class of 2023) can be from any one service site.  

For example a student may serve as a camp counselor for two weeks in the summer for a total of 70 hours.  A max of 35 (30 for Class of 2023) will be counted toward their service hours. 

An exception to this is our summer mission trip.  The Summer Mission trip exposed students to a variety of service experiences for both the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and is 50 hours of service.

Opportunities are posted on a bulletin board in Campus Ministry and in the on-line service hour tracking system x2Vol.  Students can come to Campus Ministry located in the Learning Commons, before or after school, and during their study with a pass, to ask any questions.  To empower students to advocate for themselves we encourage them to see Campus Ministry about any service questions.  The Campus Ministers can answer all questions generally in a quick few minutes!