South County High School Service Learning is students involved in authentic and meaningful service to their communities.

Why are FCPS students doing this?

1. Service Learning is a Fairfax County Public Schools initiative as part of the three Student Achievement Goals and falls under Goal 3 – Responsibility to the Community.
2. Students participate in Service Learning:

• As part of a student’s personal growth

• To contribute to the welfare of the community

• To provide self-fulfillment and to develop a life-long habit

What are the goals this year?

Students will complete service learning hours as follows:

• 9th grade - 10 hours
• 10th grade - 10 hours
• 11th grade - 10 hours
• 12th grade - 10 hours

Recognition for service learning hours

Students who complete a total of 50 hours during their high school career and meet all the other state requirements will have the Virginia Civics Seal on their diploma.

Possible Service Learning Ideas

• Service learning activities through government class projects
• SGA projects
• Club and organization-sponsored projects, such as: Partner’s Club, National Honor Society, and Key Club
• Volunteering for a charitable or religious organization that provides services to the poor, sick, or less fortunate.
• Participating in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or similar youth organizations.
• Participating in JROTC activities outside of school hours.
• Participating in political campaigns, government internships, or Boys State, Girls State, or Model General Assembly.
• Participating in school-sponsored extracurricular activities that have a civics focus.
• Service Hours from an Honor Society or school club
• Students who perform service hours for the different honor societies and other organizations at our school will also be able to claim those hours as part of their Service Learning goal, as long as the work done meets all the requirements of Service Learning.

What activities do not count as Service Learning?

• Any activity you get paid for doing
• Any activity you get academic credit for doing
• Any activity you do for your family
• Any activity carried on in connection with a religious organization that only benefits that organization
• Any work done for a teacher that is not instruction-based or does not give back to the whole school

*An example of what counts and what doesn’t…Bringing in cans of food for a food drive does not count, but going door to door in your neighborhood collecting food, or helping to organize a food drive would count.

When can students do their service hours?

All year long! Hours completed during the summer months prior to the school year count too!

How do you keep track of your Service Learning hours?

Students will log their hours through x2VOL, a tool that FCPS middle and high schools use to support students with finding, tracking, and verifying service hours electronically. Students login to x2VOL through Family Connection on FCPS 24/7 Blackboard.