Kings High School — Community Service
Community service is a graduation requirement at Kings High School. All hours are tracked in SchooLinks and must include a photo of the student performing the service activity.
Hour Requirements
Kings Local School District requires students to earn service learning hours, at least half of which may — but are not required to — be earned within the district. Students are encouraged to go beyond the minimum. Hour requirements are based on the year a student started at KHS:
Freshman transfer: 50 hours
Sophomore transfer: 35 hours
Junior transfer: 25 hours
Senior transfer: 15 hours
How to Log Hours in SchooLinks
All community service hours must be logged in SchooLinks, accessed through Clever. Students do not have access to their SchooLinks account until late summer; hours completed over the summer should be tracked (with photos) and entered once school starts.
Steps to Log Hours
1. Log in to Clever: clever.com/in/klsd
2. Click on SchooLinks.
3. Click the "Engage" button on the menu.
4. Select "Experience Tracking."
5. Select the blue plus sign next to "Volunteer Hours – Kings" or "Volunteer Hours – Non-Kings," depending on where the service was completed.
6. Answer all the questions and upload a picture of yourself performing the service, either from your phone or taken and uploaded instantly.
7. Click "Save."
A supervisor at the organization must verify each entry. They will receive a verification email from info@schoolinks.com.
View Full Step-by-Step Guide (PDF)Community Service Guidelines
1. Service Hour Limits
There is no limit to the hours a student may earn with the same organization. For extended service-learning trips, only seven (7) hours per day can be documented as service. Students who serve more than seven hours in one day may submit a reflective piece to the Community Service Coordinator to request credit for additional hours.
2. Eligible Community Service
The organization must be a nonprofit that exists solely to provide community service and relies on volunteers to operate. Community service will not be accepted when there is an opportunity to earn payment.
3. In-District Community Service
In-district community service hours may be earned during the school day only when the service occurs during a study hall and is supervised by a Kings Local School District staff member or designated program coordinator, or when it is part of a service-learning project connected to a curricular activity approved by the principal. Teacher or staff aide positions are not eligible for service hours.
4. Supervision and Verification
Adults who are related to the student may not serve as the supervising adult. A supervisor must be directly involved with the activity and the nonprofit organization.
5. Submission of Hours
Community service hours must be submitted during the month in which the service is completed. All fields in SchooLinks must be completed, including a photo of the student taken during the service activity.
6. Donations and Blood Drives
Hours are not awarded for donations. Students may earn one hour of service for the donation of blood or plasma.
What Qualifies as Community Service
Community service must meet all of the following:
- The student is giving their own time
- The student is expecting no pay or personal reward
- The activity is not replacing a paid position
- The activity contributes a positive, tangible result for a group the student does not belong to
Non-Kings activities (at least half of total hours)
Qualifies:
- Volunteer work for nonprofit, 501(c) organizations, such as the American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, or Matthew 25 Ministries
- Volunteer work for organized volunteer programs at hospitals, nursing or retirement communities, or community cultural organizations
Does not qualify:
- Unpaid work for a business, such as filing papers in an office or picking up trash or recycling at a restaurant
- Fundraising for an outside agency while being paid for other work at the same time
- Serving an individual without the sponsorship of an outside agency, such as shoveling snow for a neighbor or free babysitting
Kings activities (limited to half of total hours)
Qualifies:
- Teacher- or staff-supervised tutoring and mentoring, including foreign language instruction at elementary schools
- Supporting younger students in learning, athletic, transition, or leadership activities
- Athletic camps and Kings Youth Organization coaching
Does not qualify:
- Work completed for a student's own group's benefit
- Work for a for-profit business or for an individual, unless sponsored by a nonprofit or pre-approved by administration
- Team or group fundraising, such as car washes, candy, or mulch sales
- Working at competitions or tournaments that raise funds supporting the student's own group
- Activities required as a member of the group the student belongs to, including required concessions duties, open gym or field sessions, and Parents' Night Out type events
- Activities connected to extracurriculars, such as dance committee work or theater tech work
How to Find a Service Opportunity
- Visit Cincinnati Cares to connect with service projects in the area
- Create a project based on your own interests and talents, and connect with other students who share them
- Watch for district emails with the subject line "C/S" for current volunteer opportunities
- Look for volunteer opportunities at a place of worship, school, public library, township office or department, fire department, museum, or nonprofit agency such as United Way, American Cancer Society, Circle Tail, Red Cross, or Stepping Stones Center
Note: Simply donating items does not qualify for service hours.
Guides and Forms
Community Service Coordinator
Mandy Antonczak, Community Service Coordinator
513-398-8050, ext. 11007 Email Mandy Antonczak
