Service In God’s Name

(S.I.G.N.)

S.I.G.N. is designed to teach and encourage volunteerism among students and to offer them opportunities to grow in personal responsibility and Christian charity. We focus our efforts on the Corporal Works of Mercy: please visit this link for the list and ideas: https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/works-of-mercy-for-catholic-families 

S.I.G.N. has two major components: completing the service hours and submitting the verification on time.  Service hours don’t count toward the student’s grade, as we are striving to teach them to serve without expectation. However, if hours are submitted late or incomplete, there will be a deduction from their semester grade.

Submission Requirements

Hard-copy forms will be available for completion, and they will also be available electronically in the student’s Google Classroom stream. All fields on the form must be completed. Only an appropriate adult’s signature on the organization’s letterhead or an email from a representative of the organization will be accepted. It cannot be a parent. A phone number for the person who signed off on the hours must be provided for verification.  Please note that the date, service, and hours performed must be included for credit.

To record hours, you may get a form from the theology room and fill it out, or the form can be filled in electronically by:

  1. Making a copy from the Google Classroom
  2. Typing in the correct information
  3. Emailing it to Mrs. Drumm ([email protected]) from the person signing off on the hours performed

ALL service hours must be signed by the person the service was performed for, or by Mrs. Drumm.

Student Responsibilities

It is the student’s responsibility to track the hours they need. They may inquire with their religion teacher at an appropriate time about how many hours they have recorded.

Hours are posted in the room.

NO NOTICE WILL BE SENT HOME CONCERNING HOW MANY HOURS REMAIN TO BE PERFORMED OR TURNED IN.

Paid volunteerism (even if it is money for your class or for a class trip, as students benefit from those proceeds) does NOT count as service hours.

Service hours do not roll over from year to year.

 

Requirements and Limitations

Due dates are always in December and May.

  • Seniors will only do community service hours.*
      • This doesn’t include school activities unless approved in advance by the theology teacher.
      • They need to either:
        •  pair up with one organization 
        • or work with several organizations.
          • *If they read, sing, serve, or become an EM and serve at POP Masses (which include Prince of Peace downtown; St. Pat’s Hispanic Mass; Sorrowful Mother of God, Vevay, St. Mary’s or St. Joe’s in North Vernon, or for non-Catholics, if they serve in their own church) they will receive 30 minutes of service.
          • If they do the above during a Shawe school Mass (this includes all school Masses), they will receive 15 minutes of service.
  • 20 hours per year.
      • 10 hours first semester
      • 10 hours second semester

  • Juniors will only do school and/or church service hours. 
  • 20 hours per year.
      • 10 hours first semester
      • 10 hours second semester
        • If they read, sing, serve, or become an EM and serve at either the Shawe or POP Masses, they will receive 15 minutes of service credit.

  • Sophomores will only do school and/or church service hours.
  • 14 hours per year.
      • 7 hours first semester
      • 7 hours second semester
        • If they read, sing, serve, or become an EM and serve at either the Shawe or POP Masses, they will receive 15 minutes of service credit.

If sophomores or juniors volunteer for a community activity I promote in class, those hours can count toward school service hours.

STUDENTS WHO OBTAIN A TOTAL OF 50 OR MORE HOURS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A SERVICE AWARD ON HONORS DAY. 

  • HOURS TURNED IN LATE (after 3:30 pm on the due date) WILL RESULT IN THE THEOLOGY SEMESTER GRADE BEING LOWERED BY 3%.
  • FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE REQUIRED HOURS BY 3:30 PM 7 DAYS (weekends included) AFTER THE DUE DATE WILL RESULT IN THE THEOLOGY SEMESTER GRADE BEING LOWERED BY 7%.  

Service ideas

School and/or Church – sophomores and juniors

Any festival or event that is hosted by Shawe and/or Pope John

Faith Family activities

Assisting any teacher or staff member (including cafeteria, custodial, or maintenance)

Wiping down desks

Cleaning boards

Dusting shelves or window sills

Cleaning windows (all over the school! The doors especially – even the emergency exit doors in the gym)

Sweeping the floor

Emptying trash (by the copiers and in the teacher’s lounge, too)

Organizing shelves

Sweeping the hallways and stairways

Wiping door handles and the railings on the stairs

Stapling

Holepunching

Filing papers

Vacuuming if you have carpet

Picking up trash outside

Cleaning mirrors and vanities in the bathrooms

  • Detention time doesn’t count

Cemetery clean-up

Any community activity that is promoted through class.

  • Includes VBS or any other that may have occurred over the summer
    • Just check with Mrs. Drumm for affirmation

Participating in the school Mass in the following roles:

  • Lector
  • EM
  • Altar service
  • Cantor
    • Doing any of the above earns 15 minutes

Participating in a weekend Mass (or if you participate in some way with your own church that isn’t Catholic) in the following roles:

  • Lector
  • EM
  • Altar service
  • Cantor
    • Doing any of the above earns 30 minutes

Blood donation for those 16 and older is as follows:

  • Attempt to donate with finger stick = .5 hour
  • Regular donation = 1 hour
  • Power red = 2 hours

Community – Seniors

Participating in a weekend Mass (or if you participate in some way with your own church that isn’t Catholic) in the following roles:

  • Lector
  • EM
  • Altar service
  • Cantor
    • Doing any of the above earns 30 minutes

Participating in the school Mass in the following roles:

  • Lector
  • EM
  • Altar service
  • Cantor
    • Doing any of the above earns 15 minutes

Blood donation for those 16 and older is as follows:

  • Attempt to donate with finger stick = .5 hour
  • Regular donation = 1 hour
  • Power red = 2 hours

Any community activity that is promoted through class.

  • Includes VBS or any other that may have occurred over the summer
    • Just check with Mrs. Drumm for affirmation

Nursing home visits

Hospital volunteers

End of Month meals

Salvation Army (bell ringers and others)

Organizations through your church

Sororities like Tri Kappa or others

Fraternal organizations like the Knights of Columbus, Lions, Elks, or others

Boys and Girls Club

Jefferson County Animal Shelter

Organizations to consider:

Soup, Stew, Chili, and Brew

Chautauqua

Ribberfest

Regatta

Heritage Trail Association

Life Choices for Women Clinic

St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry or another organization like this

  • Twelve donated items are equivalent to one hour
  • You can donate up to 24 for two hours, but not beyond that
    • No other exchange is accepted (ex. You can’t give six and get 30 minutes)

Mission trips

Farmer’s Market downtown – it moves indoors during the winter