Service Learning

Fort Worth Country Day believes that service to our School, to the greater community and to humankind is a necessary component for the education of the whole student. Only through service can one fully appreciate the many gifts that a FWCD education provides. The goal of our program is to educate the students to the need for community service by encouraging them to participate in programs that add to the quality of life for the citizens of FWCD and Fort Worth.
 
Fort Worth Country Day recognizes that both the community and the students are enriched by active involvement in service. FWCD believes it is responsible for providing opportunities, role models and support to its students to promote their active involvement in service. The School also embraces its place in the greater Fort Worth community and acknowledges that it has a responsibility to contribute through thought and deed to the city that has been the home of the School since its founding. It is therefore the policy of FWCD to encourage and support its students in service endeavors.
All service learning information, as well as the Site Authorization Form and volunteer opportunities are available on the service learning group page on the School’s website.

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  • Graduation Requirements

    The requirement for graduation will be at least 40 hours of Service Learning accumulated over four years in the Upper School for all rising 9th graders. Classes of '22, '23, and '24 received an adjustment of 10 hours for the '20-'21 school year, due to Covid-19 restrictions. Therefore, the requirement for the classes of '24, '23, and '22 is 30 hours. A student may perform a maximum of 10 hours of service learning on campus for credit over the course of four years. Students may start accruing hours after June first of the summer preceding the ninth grade.

  • New Students

    • New students who are entering the tenth grade will be expected to complete 30 hours of service learning. A maximum of ten hours of on-campus service learning will be accepted for graduation credit. Service learning hours may not be transferred from a former school.
    • New students entering eleventh grade will be expected to complete 20 hours of service learning. A maximum of ten hours of on-campus service learning will be accepted for graduation credit. Service learning hours may not be transferred from a former school.
    • New students entering the twelfth grade will be expected to complete ten hours of service learning. Service learning hours may not be transferred from a former school.

  • Requirement Guidelines

    Requirement hours are to be completed by the end of spring break during senior year. A Site Authorization Form must be submitted within 90 days of an event for credit. The form can be downloaded from the website and copies are also available on the service learning bulletin board outside the US office. Although FWCD does not specify a certain number of hours per year, it is recommended that a student complete the requirement before the senior year.
     
    A list of volunteer opportunities is available on the Upper School Service Learning group page and in the downloadable documents section of the website. Opportunities are also posted on the service learning bulletin board. Students are not limited to volunteering at one of these posted sites but should get pre-approval from the Service Learning Coordinator if the site is not posted, to make sure the hours will qualify for FWCD credit.  
     
    Except for school sponsored service days, i.e., 9th Grade Service Morning, Community Service Day, Feast of Sharing, the volunteer work should be done during the summer or after school and on weekends during the school year. Credit is not given for work done during school hours except in extenuating situations and with prior approval of the Service Learning Coordinator. 
     
    Volunteer work should be done at the site of the non-profit organization being served, or at a designated location assigned by the organization. For example, hours may not be obtained by buying cans for the Food Bank or making sandwiches at home for the Presbyterian Night Shelter. Time spent in planning meetings for events and/or sitting on committees for events may not be submitted for credit toward the graduation requirement.    

  • Requirement Clarification

    Service learning hours performed at a place of worship will be accepted for those events that involve outreach programs such as VBS or mission trips. Hours may not be submitted for helping with things that are part of being a member of a worship community, ie. singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, helping in the office, etc.
     
    Week-long events, such as mission trips or camps, will be credited for a maximum of 40 hours per week (8 hours per work day). If the student stays in a cabin and is responsible for campers overnight as well as during the day, more hours may be credited.
     
    A student who participates in a “walk” or a “run” will receive one hour of credit. If the student works at such an event, e.g., working a water station or helping with set-up, the student can receive credit for all of the hours worked. 
     
    A student who donates blood can submit two hours for credit.
     
    Service learning hours will not be given for time spent working in a political office or on a political campaign.

    Please note: The above information is not all inclusive.  Therefore, if a student is not sure that the site or event they have selected will fit the FWCD guidelines, the student should obtain prior approval on the Site Authorization Form from the FWCD Coordinator to avoid misunderstanding and to assure that the hours worked will be credited toward the FWCD graduation requirement.

Volunteer Site Locations

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4200 Country Day Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76109
Phone: 817.732.7718
Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is a JK-12 private, independent, coeducational, nondenominational college-preparatory school located on approximately 100 acres in Fort Worth, Texas. The mission of Fort Worth Country Day School is to foster the intellectual, physical, emotional, and ethical development of capable students through an academically rigorous college preparatory program that integrates the arts and athletics.