Updates on Senior Service Projects
Changes to Senior Service Project requirements and service hour requirements have been adjusted due to COVID-19.
PHOTO | Sophie Nedelco
Alumna Maddie Young ’18 nails the roof onto the chicken coop March 15, 2018 during the service trip to San Andrés Itzapa, Guatemala.
In this past week’s Sion Weekly final decisions about how seniors would finish their service projects were made.
It was decided that all seniors need to turn in all the hours they have completed up to this point, even if their project was not completely finished be turned in by Friday, April 3. It was also mentioned that SSP’s would not require the leadership component like usual and would not need to have a minimum of 15 marginalized hours for their projects.
“Our goal when Ms. Carmody, Mrs. Hull, and I met and made this decision was to lessen the burden of those seniors who could not finish their marginalized and leadership service hours for their SSP,” Co-director of Service Learning Polly Holmes said.
This adjustment helped many, including seniors Caroline Ehren and Phoebe Mullen who were doing their SSP with Maison de Naissance, an organization that helps mothers give birth safely, provide prenatal care and more in Haiti. The two held a onesie drive so that they could take to Haiti when they went there for spring break. Unfortunately, their trip was canceled before the concerns of COVID-19 due to civil unrest in Haiti.
“Phoebe and I had already completed the leadership portion, but because our trip was canceled, we arranged to get the marginalized hours by working at soup kitchens,” said Ehren. “That was canceled because of the coronavirus. Luckily, we already had our 100 hours of service, so we won’t be required to finish our hours for SSP.”
Sophomore Paige Dernier helps take care of the kids at Della Lamb or her freshman day of service in 2018.
As for the 100 service hours that are also needed to graduate, accommodations have been made as well. There will not be a minimum and maximum restriction on the Immediate Community, Practical Work, and Working with the Marginalized categories for seniors. If a senior is not able to complete their 25-hour SSP but has at least 100 hours of service, the administration will consider it complete.
“I believe there will be 10% of seniors who will be short of the 100-hour requirement,” Holmes said. “We will work with them individually to help them finish the hours, even if it is during the summer.
Regarding freshman, sophomores and juniors, more information on how you can turn in senior service hours from 2nd semester will be sent out at a later date. If you have any questions or concerns about Senior Service Projects, contact Holmes at [email protected]. If you have any questions regarding regular service hours, contact Jessica Hull at [email protected].