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MYP@TJHS: Service & Action

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IB Middle Years students participate in Service and Action in every year of the programme. What do Service and Action look like in the 9th and 10th grades?

MYP Service & Action at TJHS

All students in grades 9 and 10 at Thomas Jefferson High School engage in service and action in the greater community. Action is defined as learning by doing and experiencing. Some learning takes place in the classroom and other learning takes place in the greater community through service. Service is a form of action. Serving others is an expression of being a caring participant in our community.

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Students often begin service projects thinking they will help others who are less fortunate. In reality, as they participate, they have much to gain as well. By participating in a wide variety of service experiences, students find that they benefit greatly by gaining valuable skills to apply in later paid work experiences, contacts in the community, and a record of experiences to complete applications to colleges, scholarships, and other opportunities. Taking meaningful, ethical action benefits both the community and the individual student.

 

Students who document at least 50 hours of service in high school are eligible to receive a service seal on their high school diplomas. Guidance counselors can provide students with the requirements for the seal and how to apply.

2022-2023 School Year: MYP Students Participate in Students Rebuild Service Project 

Postcards from Welcoming Refugees Challenge, class of 2026, March 2023.

What is Service?

Service is described as one or a combination of these four types:

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  • Direct Service - The student directly interacts in a face-to-face manner with the recipient of the service.

  • Indirect Service - The student does not come into direct contact with recipients, but instead participates in collecting goods or fundraising activities.

  • Advocacy - The student raises awareness or promotes action on behalf of a need or issue.

  • Research - The student participates in gathering information or compiling data.

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Some service comes directly from what students learn about in the classroom. Perhaps what is read in a literature class may motivate students to take meaningful action in the community. Or what students learn about in a history class may inspire them to do an oral history project as an extension. Or students learn about healthy ecosystems in science class and take meaningful action to support local habitats.  Sophomores may also plan their Personal Projects around service and complete requirements for service as well as requirements for the Personal Project. As a school, we highlight some of these experiences through assemblies and other learning experiences at least once per semester.

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MYP students at TeeJay take meaningful action on seven outcomes for service including:

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  • Become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth;

  • Undertake challenges that develop new skills;

  • Discuss, evaluate, and plan student-initiated activities;

  • Persevere in action (extended duration of activity for at least one month);

  • Work collaboratively with others;

  • Develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism, and intercultural understanding;

  • Consider the ethical implications of their actions.

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Students are encouraged to participate in service outside of school as well. What do students value? What are they passionate about? Answers to those questions may lead students to service with various community organizations that allow teenagers to participate. Considerations of safety, supervision, and whether or not a parent or guardian must be present to support the student are factors to consider carefully before participating in any activity outside of school. For a current list of volunteer opportunities in the greater community, see HandsOnRVA. Look under "Youth Volunteering" and search by age. The site also has DIY Volunteering opportunities.

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Students may also gain experience with service by looking for the service component in what they are already doing in the community. many one-time events or volunteering on a regular basis through a local library or hospital can be rewarding. See Mrs. Cady, the MYP Coordinator, for help in finding ways to serve at TJHS and in the larger community. Virtual options are also available. 

What does not count as service?

TJHS has a few general rules about what does not count as service:

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  • An activity that a student is paid monetarily or in trade does not count as service.

  • Any activity that involves proselytizing or worship in any religion does not count as service.

  • Any practice time (sports or music, etc.) does not count.

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If students are paid for their work, participate as a family chore that they must do, or are engaged in practice hours for a performance not open to the community, it is not counted as service. So: working at a part-time job at a fast food restaurant, babysitting a younger sibling, or practicing the trumpet for band class would not count. However, helping to organize clothing for a coat drive at school, volunteering in the nursery at a church or during an elementary PTA meeting, and playing a recital at a nursing home all count as service. Consider the type of service and who benefits. 

How do students document service?

Students record their service and reflections on a log sheet. For whole-school or grade level service activities, students may be given a link to a Google form to record their reflections and service information. Log sheets may be turned in to Mrs. Cady by email or dropped off in room 208 (the IB Office). Hours and reflections will be logged in January and May of each year.

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