Service-Learning is a teaching method that combines meaningful service to the community with curriculum-based learning. Students improve their academic skills by applying what they learn in school to the real world; they then reflect on their experience to reinforce the link between their service and their learning.  Each student must complete 75 hours to graduate.  

Service-learning experiences in Maryland must include:  

1. Academic Preparation: Students must be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for their service activity. Preparation may include achieving curricular objectives, exploring the meaning of civic engagement, and learning about the community and how to identify its needs. Examples of Academic Preparation include learning from a guest speaker, meeting with a community partner, and conducting research on a particular issue or cause.  
    

2. Service Activities: Students engage in purposeful, personally relevant service-learning experiences. Students should spend a significant portion of their service-learning time engaged in meeting a recognized community need through direct, indirect, or advocacy service action.  
   Direct Service: Students have direct contact with those they serve.  

• Examples of Direct Service include tutoring, serving meals, visiting, providing care, etc. 
   

• Indirect Service: Students engage in a service activity without having direct contact, often to channel resources to help alleviate a community issue. 
  Examples of Indirect Service include providing technical assistance, hosting food and clothing drives, organizing walk-a-thons and fundraisers, participating in environmental projects, etc. 
   

• Advocacy Service: Students educate others about a particular nonpartisan topic with the goal of influencing change within a community. 
  Examples of Advocacy Service include contacting legislators, presenting before public officials, preparing and delivering a performance, creating and sharing media or other educational materials, etc. 

3. Structured Reflection: Students participate in ongoing reflection throughout a service-learning experience. Students contemplate and evaluate the service action and its impact on the community and on themselves, considering positives and negatives and adjustments that might be made to the activity. Examples of Structured Reflection include guided journal prompts, discussions,  performance, artwork, etc.  Students in Carroll County achieve this through the completion of the Service Learning Form. 

AND 

All service-learning  should meet all of the following Maryland State Department of Education's  Seven Best Practices of Service-Learning :

1. Meet a recognized need in the community. 

2. Achieve curricular objectives through service-learning. 

3. Reflect throughout the service-learning experience. 

4. Develop student responsibility. 

5. Establish community partnerships. 

6. Plan ahead for service-learning. 

7. Equip students with knowledge and skills needed for service

1. Students, parents, and individuals/organizations who accept student volunteers are hereby advised that the fact that Service-Learning is mandated is not a sufficient basis for attaching liability to the Carroll County Public Schools. The Board of Education of Carroll County does not provide general liability insurance for individuals or organizations for whom students may perform student service. Parents or guardians of student and individuals or organizations that accept student volunteers should verify the adequacy of their own insurance coverage; as well as their protocols for maintaining student safety and privacy. 

2.  The Carroll County Service Learning program will meet or exceed the maximum number of service learning hours (75) as required by the State of Maryland. Students may count a maximum of 20% of total service hours as preparation unless pre-approved by the School Service Learning Coordinator.

3.  Students may accumulate service learning hours through the summer after the completion of grade 5 until the end of grade 12. Students must complete a minimum of 55 service learning hours by the end of the eleventh grade in order to be promoted to senior status.

4. Service learning hours will be pro-rated for students transferring into Carroll County Schools from out of state, non-public schools, or home school after the start of their sophomore year.   Students who transfer during sophomore year will be required to complete 40 hours of service learning; during junior year, 30 hours; during the first semester of their senior year, 10 hours; during the second semester of senior year, 5 hours. 

5. Service Learning activities will be approved by the School Principal (or their designee) or the building Service Learning Coordinator.  Students shall not be paid for their service and shall not earn hours for service to a for-profit agency or business. Students shall not earn hours for service hours in preparation for or during religious service; nor can they earn hours for assisting family members with tasks like cutting the lawn or babysitting.  Students can not be excused from school to earn service learning hours. Check with the building Service Learning Coordinator for clarification. 

6. Students who complete 300 or more service learning hours by May 1st of their Senior year will earn the Exemplary Service Award. 

All service-learning experiences should meet Maryland’s Seven Best Practices of Service-Learning. Listed below are additional guidelines that provide clarification on what should “count” toward meeting the service-learning requirement. 

• Service-learning activities with the purpose of directly addressing human needs in areas such as health, education, environment, or public safety, even if done in conjunction with a faith-based agency or institution, may be counted toward the service-learning graduation requirement. 

• Service-learning activities with the purpose of collecting food, clothing, or other items necessary to benefit others and meet human needs, even if done in conjunction with a faith-based agency or institution, may be counted toward the service-learning graduation requirement. 

• Service-learning activities with the purpose of extending the benefit of the service activity to individuals or families in need, other than the student’s own family, may be counted toward the service-learning graduation requirement. Activities should serve the greater good instead of being self-serving to a particular person or group.  

• Service-learning activities with the purposes of serving the school community must meet the service-learning quality practices articulated in Maryland’s Seven Best Practices of Service-Learning to be counted toward the service-learning graduation requirement. These projects should be structured to meet greater needs in the areas of health, education, environment, or public safety identified within the school community. 

• Service-learning activities with the purpose of increasing voter registration and participation and/or implementing voter education activities on issues may be counted toward the service-learning graduation requirement. 

• Service-learning activities must be inclusive and non-discriminatory. Activities that violate federal or state law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, sex, age, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability, may not be counted toward the service-learning graduation requirement. 

• Service-learning activities that are completed independently by students in the community must meet the service-learning quality practices articulated in Maryland’s Seven Best Practices of Service-Learning. Designated school personnel or, in the absence of such designated personnel, the school principal, must verify the completion of the service 

Middle School Courses

• 6th grade Outdoor School (20 hours* New in 2024-2025)
• 8th grade Family & Consumer Sciences (15 hours)
• Learning for Independence Job Readiness (15 hours)

*Students may earn an additional 10 Service-Learning hours by completing an approved environmental project after the completion of Outdoor School. Students will learn about this opportunity while attending Outdoor School.

High School Course with 5, 15, or 30 hours

• Aquatic Environmental Science (15 hours)
• CDA Portfolio and Internship (30 hours)
• Government/Honors Government (5 hours)
• Terrestrial Environmental Science (15 hours)

High School Courses with 10 hours

• Academic Department Assistant+
• Advanced Cosmetology: Theory & Application
• AP US Government
• Applied Art
• Auto Service Technology I, II
• Building Maintenance
• Culinary Arts 1 and II
• Electrical Construction I, II
• Honors International Studies
• Independent Study – Student Service Learning+
• Issues in American Society
• Mastery of Cosmetology
• Newspaper Production/Honors Newspaper Production+
• Peer Facilitating+
• Principles & Practices of Cosmetology
• Science Research I, II, III/ Honors Science Research I, II, III
• Textiles and Fashion Careers I, II
• US History/Honors US History
• Video Production
• Yearbook Production/Honors Yearbook Production+

Once you have completed your service, fill out the Service-Learning Reflection Form .  You will receive an email once you have submitted your service-learning form.  You MUST turn-in your form within one year of completing the service-learning project.

Checking your Service Learning Hours

1. Go to Home Access Center 

2.  Click on Grades  

    

3. Next, click on the Test Scores Tab

    

4. Scroll down until you see Test: SVCHOURS.  You will see service-learning hours entered for hours earned in classes and those earned outside of school.  

Carroll County has numerous non-profit organizations that students can work with to create service-learning projects. Below is a list of some local non-profit organizations.  Each organization name is hyperlinked to their website which contains more information on their organization. 

*This organization has online projects available. 

• 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County  ***14 or older only 

• *American Cancer Society –  800-227-2345  

• Bear Branch Nature Center – Email for more information 

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MD – Mentoring - Y Central MD – 410-848-2330  

• Boys and Girls Club of Westminster—410-386-0135  

• Caring Communities, Inc. – 410-549-5707  

• Carroll County 4H – University of Md Extension - 410-876-2760 

• Carroll County Arts Council  

• Carroll County Equestrian Council – Email for more information-410-386-2103  

• Carroll County Farm Museum – 410-386-3880  

• Carroll County Food Sunday – 410-857-7926 -  

• *Carroll County Public Library – 410-386-4490  

• Carroll Hospice – 443-952-4236  

• Charlotte’s Quest Nature Center  

• CHANGE, Inc. – 410-876-2179 –  

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation – 1-888-728-3229 

• Clagett Farms (301- 627-4662) harvesting, planting, picking, trees under 16 must be with an adult 

• Disabled American Veterans – 410-386-3800  

• Fire Departments (Junior Volunteer program)  

  • Westminster – 410-848-1800 -ages 12-16 

  • Pleasant Valley – 410-848-6008 - (Juniors@pleasantvalleyfire.org) ages 10-16 
  • Reese – 410-848-7172 – (info@reesevfc.org) ages 10-15 
  • Gamber – 410-795-3445 – (info@gambervfd.org) ages 11-16 

• Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County ReStore – 410-751-7722 Under 14 must be accompanied by an adult 

• Historical Society of Carroll County – 410-848-6494  

• Humane Society  

  • Baltimore County - Under 12 must be accompanied by an adult 

  • Carroll County –  Under 16 can run donation drives, create animal friendly products (dog or cat toys), etc 

• Carroll County Monocacy River Board-410-386-2712

• Maryland Zoo – National Aquarium in Baltimore – 410-576-3886 There are the opportunities available for middle school with adult supervision 

• Piney Run Nature Center – 410-795-6043 

• *Project Linus – 240-786-2960 – (ccprojectlinus@gmail.com) Blanket making only 

• Shepherd’s Staff – 410-857-5944 Under 16 must be accompanied by an adult 

• Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute 202-633-3025   

• Special Olympics – 443-236-1571  

• The Y Central Maryland Food Bank  

• Union Mills Homestead– 410-848-2288– Open May – November 

• Westminster Rescue Mission - 410-848-2222