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Community service

Does anyone know of any place where a graduating senior can catch up on community service hours? Unfortunately this particular senior has let the community service requirement go down to the wire. I understand that the requirement needs to be completed by May 1 in order to graduate with the class. Is there any kind of information center that lists organizations that will accept high school students to perform community service? Anyone know of any organizations that are looking for help after school and/or over April vacation? Any suggestions gratefully accepted. I hate to ask this, but does anyone have any experience with what really happens if the community service requirement is not fulfilled in a timely fashion, if other graduation requirements have been met?

Re: Community service

If you're a senior parent, why have you waited so long about something like this that is supposed to matter? It's the 2nd week in April, for heaven sake! Is the concept of community service new to you and your child, and if so why? Do you think this is just some silly little requirement that can be gotten around? Why aren't you asking the MHS administration or guidance counselors your question instead of posting here?

Re: Community service

Jeez, "Seriously" if you didn't want to help, why didn't you just not answer. No need to be snarky and rude about it. Judgey much? You must be east side.

Senior Parent - I gotta think about it a bit,although I know they will accept almost anything so long as the student isn't getting paid for it. Did he or she complete any hours at all yet? Defintely ask the guidance counselor for ideas. Sometimes teachers have a need for help in classroom after school or sports teams coaches may need some help. Food pantry, churches, city hall, senior centers are all good places to inquire. Better get started, though because they DO have to have all the hours in to graduate.

I'll come back later if I think of something good.

Re: Community service

Yes, "Seriously", this was a serious question. If you have ever dealt with teenagers, you would know that procrastination is often a manifestation of their immaturity. I waited before getting involved because I wanted my senior to be responsible for his or her own actions. I should not need to be involved in this at all. Unfortunately, my senior has chosen to risk graduation and college attendance, simply because of his or her delay in fulfilling this requirement.

If you have ever had any interactions with the MHS administration or guidance counselors, you would know why I am not contacting them. They are incompetent and anything but helpful.

And, yes, I do think community service is a silly requirement. But it is a requirement, nonetheless, and it needs to be fulfilled.

Re: Community service

From "Senior parent": "And, yes, I do think community service is a silly requirement." There you have it.

"I waited before getting involved because I wanted my senior to be responsible for his or her own actions. I should not need to be involved in this at all." Oh really? How about imparting some basic values concerning what it means to be a citizen in a community? Have your children ever shoveled out their neighbors just because it was a kind and generous thing to do? For that matter, do you do these kinds of things, or do you think that's "silly," also?

You say, "If you have ever had any interactions with the MHS administration or guidance counselors, you would know why I am not contacting them. They are incompetent and anything but helpful." While this may be true (plenty of parents and students would say so), what have you done to be part of the solution instead of more of the problem, or do you think that, too, is "silly"?

Re: Community service

I'm really sorry I sought out some help on this board.

Never mind.

Re: Community service

Yes, the only way to get support on this site is to criticize the schools. If you are not willing to do that, you should stay off the boards. That is what most people do.

Re: Community service

In a nutshell

You say, "If you have ever had any interactions with the MHS administration or guidance counselors, you would know why I am not contacting them. They are incompetent and anything but helpful." While this may be true (plenty of parents and students would say so), what have you done to be part of the solution instead of more of the problem, or do you think that, too, is "silly"?


Perhaps Senior Parent could send their kid to the School Committee meeting and wait until 10 PM for the "public comment period" to complain about the guidance counselors while the SC gang whispers about where to have their next secret SC meeting while putting on their coats and powering down their tablets?

Re: Community service

Community Service idea
In a nutshell

You say, "If you have ever had any interactions with the MHS administration or guidance counselors, you would know why I am not contacting them. They are incompetent and anything but helpful." While this may be true (plenty of parents and students would say so), what have you done to be part of the solution instead of more of the problem, or do you think that, too, is "silly"?


Perhaps Senior Parent could send their kid to the School Committee meeting and wait until 10 PM for the "public comment period" to complain about the guidance counselors while the SC gang whispers about where to have their next secret SC meeting while putting on their coats and powering down their tablets?


And that’s on a good meeting! On an average meeting, you would have the Superintendent with her head back, mouth open and cutting zzzzzzzzz, while Driscoll would be looking into space with that wild and psychotic smile of hers, and Don fixing the tie around the neck of his too tight shirt, and the Mayor looking at the cameras to see if they are on him, while Chrisy is pondering the stop at Shaw’s before going home to watch her favorite soap opera, and Jessica getting lost in the “weeds” pondering her next pontification, and Kristin figuring out the next meeting at Jitters with Margaret and others to strategize for the next meeting, and of course CKK attentively listening to the speaker. We have all see this act before and much too often. This is certainly a school committee for the ages – the dark ages!

Re: Community service

Senior parent,

Good question. Here are some local ideas your student can research:

Hallmark Health (probably has a volunteer program)
Melrose Alliance Against Violence (running a fundraiser walk in May and might need help)
Mystic Valley Elder Services
Melrose Human Rights Commission has an English Conversation class and might need tutors
The McLaughlin Foundation is having a fundraiser soon and might need help
City of Melrose might need office work
The high school is performing Beauty and the Beast maybe they need ushers or concession workers?
If your student already babysits, I'll bet a few free babysitting jobs for working parents would fit the bill.

If transportation is not an issue go to volunteermatch.org and look for volunteer needs in the area, including Boston, which you can access via public transportation.

Re: Community service

Senior parent
Yes, "Seriously", this was a serious question. If you have ever dealt with teenagers, you would know that procrastination is often a manifestation of their immaturity. I waited before getting involved because I wanted my senior to be responsible for his or her own actions. I should not need to be involved in this at all. Unfortunately, my senior has chosen to risk graduation and college attendance, simply because of his or her delay in fulfilling this requirement.

If you have ever had any interactions with the MHS administration or guidance counselors, you would know why I am not contacting them. They are incompetent and anything but helpful.

And, yes, I do think community service is a silly requirement. But it is a requirement, nonetheless, and it needs to be fulfilled.


So sad. This parent has an immature, narcissistic senior. The student isn't interested in helping anyone else and is now at risk of not graduating or being allowed to go to college. Well, it seems that the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If the parent publicly states that "community service is silly", no wonder the kid doesn't care about others or the larger world or community. The kid needs to grow up and accept the consequences of their procrastination. No amount of money, technology or wish lists the school system currently wants will fix the self-centered attitude of this parent and their spoiled brat of a kid.

Re: Community service

"I waited before getting involved because I wanted my senior to be responsible for his or her own actions. I should not need to be involved in this at all. Unfortunately, my senior has chosen to risk graduation and college attendance, simply because of his or her delay in fulfilling this requirement. "

She waited because she was too busy getting her nails done, going to her pilates class, having a few at Turner's, and planning the next few vacation trips. This is the same parent who's had no qualms about her kid partying at any and every opportunity, and the same parent who won't understand why her kid thinks college is just an extension of MHS, with the lowest bar of expectations. "I should not need to be involved in this at all." Check. Got that. Why bother? It's only her kid, after all.

Sure, if she'd done her job earlier, the kid might have understood that being a contributing citizen is considered a basic requirement. It's not that long ago that many more hours of community service were required (and generally quite easily fulfilled). There are many MHS students over the years who've graduated with over a thousand hours of service (and without even counting innumerable ways they contribute selflessly without getting credit because they don't think that way). But this mom denigrates this idea of service as "silly." Too many of these snotty entitled low-class parents here, which goes a long way in explaining why things have sunk like they have.

Re: Community service

Well, Perfect, it sounds like YOU really are! You certainly put her in her place. Oh wait, that's right, she didn't come to this board looking for reprimand or condescension or your holier-than-though attitude. If you don't have any help to offer, step off! Talk about "snotty"!

Re: Community service

http://patch.com/massachusetts/melrose/st-lukes-soup-kitchen-needs-your-help-0

Today's Patch: St. Luke's Soup Kitchen needs volunteers

So many things like this are right there easily found
Odd to come to Melrose Messages instead

Re: Community service

Oh, I forgot, any of the fundraiser walks qualify for community services. Walk for hunger, breast cancer, etc.

Re: Community service

What's so easy to see in Melrose is that those trigger-happy to claim rudeness are typically the least respectful, mindful, thoughtful, to quote the favorite buzzwords of the madames of contempt in Melrose. They are quick to call out of order anyone with a less-than-pleasant but honest take on whatever is going on. Then they go many steps farther and claim a lack of civility. But watch these same individuals and typically they are the ones who have no respect for anyone other than those with their views. They interrupt, raise their voices, make faces, and in general behave with total contempt for anyone outside their favorites circle. They are Mean Girls in every sense. "Rude" sounds just like one of them, self-righteous and quick to react. Not saying that some of the others didn't sound condescending, but truthfully, looking at the original poster, it would be difficult to sound charitable.

Re: Community service

Amy - I just tried to offer what she was asking for rather than pretend to know anything about her like this:

"She waited because she was too busy getting her nails done, going to her pilates class, having a few at Turner's, and planning the next few vacation trips. This is the same parent who's had no qualms about her kid partying at any and every opportunity, and the same parent who won't understand why her kid thinks college is just an extension of MHS, with the lowest bar of expectations. "I should not need to be involved in this at all." Check. Got that. Why bother? It's only her kid, after all."

Really? Is that necessary?

And I am the mean girl??

Re: Community service

How about this one, Amy?

"If you're a senior parent, why have you waited so long about something like this that is supposed to matter? It's the 2nd week in April, for heaven sake! Is the concept of community service new to you and your child, and if so why? Do you think this is just some silly little requirement that can be gotten around? Why aren't you asking the MHS administration or guidance counselors your question instead of posting here?"

The first response to the original post. I see nothing mindful, thoughtful, respectful or helpful here. Only judgement and a recitation of everything the poster did wrong (which I'm pretty sure they already know). Immediate attack on the character of someone you don't even know without offering anything constructive.

Where does it say this parent is a woman?

Re: Community service

Obviously your panties are in a knot, and yes, you do sound an awful lot like a Melrose Mean Girl.

Re: Community service

Nah, I was just bored. Try'na get some good reactions. Got 'em.

Re: Community service

Now that you have all had a good laugh at my expense, jumping to erroneous conclusions, let me set the record straight.

I guess I misled by calling myself "Senior Parent", and for that I apologize. I am not actually the parent of the student on whose behalf I posted the original question. I have taken a parental interest in this student, because his or her own parents have effectively abandoned him or her. If this had been my own child, I would have done many things differently, all along the way. But I am not and never have been responsible for raising this student. I am trying to help this poor lost soul get through high school, at the eleventh hour.

Please re-read my original post. I never said that I thought community service itself was silly, and I do not think that at all. Quite the contrary. What I called "silly" before, and what I do think is "silly", is that students are required to log a certain number of community service hours, before they can receive a high school diploma. Many of the students who graduate from Melrose High School lack basic skills, such as the ability to read, write, or reason. I think it is "silly" that the administration wastes time checking whether the students have complied with the community service requirement, when the school administration should be devoting its efforts to making sure that the graduates receive an adequate education. In many cases, Melrose High School fails to educate its students in any meaningful way, and no amount of community service hours can make up for the woeful lack of knowledge and deficient academic skills, which many Melrose High School students take to college and into the real world.

For the poster who suggested that I should have asked the guidance counselors and administrators for suggestions, I did that. Those individuals would not even respond to phone calls or emails. The student involved also tried unsuccessfully to reach out to them for help. Therefore, I stand by my statement that the administrators and guidance counselors are incompetent and not helpful. (In raising my own children, I also had numerous unsuccessful interactions with the administration and guidance office.)

While I see tremendous value in performing community service, it is my strong conviction that it should be left to the families to instill in teenagers a commitment to give back to their communities. As I said above, the student I am trying to help never received at home the guidance that every child ought to receive. That does not mean that forcing a kid to perform community service hours is any kind of substitute for moral and emotional guidance at home. On that level, I believe that the requirement is silly, or at least ineffective.

As for the ad hominem attacks against my character, you all have jumped to many erroneous conclusions about me. First of all, I am not a woman. I have never had my nails done, "had a few" at Turner's, or attended a Pilates class. I haven't planned a vacation trip in years. And I don't drink.

I do want close by thanking the posters who offered constructive suggestions, particularly "Rude", who was anything but. Thanks in part to these suggestions, and to other ideas passed on to me from other sources, my protégé and I have been able to schedule volunteer hours at several different charitable organizations, so that the requisite hours will be able to be completed before the deadline. Check the box. Diploma will be issued.

But what an awful community we are requiring our children to "service". I came to this board with a legitimate question. Instead of getting help, I was lambasted. With a few notable exceptions, the members of this community saw this question as a chance to assert their own moral superiority and parenting skills, and to trash my character. What an awful example you set to the young people who read this board.







Re: Community service

Perfect

Re: Community service

Colleen Kelly 5K needs help, as does Healthy Melrose 5K. Give them a Google and you'll find the info.(actually Colleen Kelly info is in MHS announcements every day)

Bread of Life in Malden does dinners for those in need at a local church.

Re: Community service

Sorry this string turned sour on you but they were all good suggestions above. You can also call the council on aging to find opportunities.