Community service is a required step for graduating at Lake Highland Preparatory School, and can be a way for Highlanders to connect and grow within themselves and others. Lake Highland houses many chances for service hours. But how can Highlanders create more opportunities for themselves to earn hours? Accumulating community service hours doesn’t need to be difficult. Many people on campus have earned extensive hours. Paige O’Lenick, grade 12, has close to 200 hours of service said clubs can be a good way of getting hours. She explained that many clubs do events with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), which hosts numerous different events promising service hours. Some of these events include their annual march, which raises money to help many young individuals struggling with mental disorders.
Another event that NAMI hosts is their rock painting event. This opportunity requires participants to put encouraging phrases or words on a rock. This task is easy but can have a large impact on people. This also works as a great way to get service hours. These are just a few cases on how clubs can help Highlanders gain their required service hours and connect with the community around them.
Many Highlanders who lack community service hours usually make the excuse of how they have no time and how they are booked up with homework and after school activities. But it can be easy to make time for service hours. Paige O’Lenick recommended going for a few hours each month at least one to two times every two months to start accumulating hours. This allows students to stay on schedule and stay on top of assignments. She also recommended volunteering over the summer if you are unable to do so during the school year. She personally said she used the The Orlando Family Stage where she volunteered as a teaching apprentice for their summer camps. There she helped the teachers with their work. This is just one way Highlanders may be able to create more time to do community service and connect with others.
