Covid-19 has affected many Upper School students’ abilities to keep up with their service-hour requirements. At Episcopal School of Jacksonville, students are required to complete at least 100 service hours in order to graduate. This requirement has not changed since the pandemic although most think it should. Many camps, events, clubs and the like have been shut down due to the pandemic, and it has forced many students to struggle to find efficient ways to complete this requirement.

 Personally, I was signed up for Camp I Am Special during which I would have been able to earn over 100 service hours and make new friends while being there.

Because Covid-19 has presented so many hurdles for students in this regard, I do not know why there has not been a change to this requirement. It is unfair and very stressful for those who don’t have enough hours and planned on doing it this past year and this year.

The school has done things like loosening up on the hair guidelines to help students stress less through this tough year, when in reality it should have been this way the whole time.

A change needs to be made, and I realize if it hasn’t been made yet it is unlikely to happen. I am one of these students who still has a long way to go and struggles to find opportunities that fit my limited schedule for service hours.

I am the voice of many Upper School students when I say a change or exception needs to be made. This past year has been full of hardships and loss for many, service hours should not be top priority right now. I understand that we must help and give back to our community, and I think it’s a great thing. But under these circumstances it is very difficult to accomplish this lofty expectation.

Image courtesy of Fort Lee Public Schools.