In a day and age where résumés are top of mind for many high school students, giving back to the community can often fall to the bottom of an already packed to-do list. With academics, athletics and extracurriculars competing for time, community service sometimes feels less important.
Until May 2025, the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) helped motivate students by rewarding them based on the number of hours they spent serving the community. It acted as a clear goal to work toward by offering a tangible award for time spent helping others. Because the program is on hold temporarily, students are now challenged to find motivation that goes beyond awards and recognition.
Assistant Director of Community Service Isabel Cisneros understands how demanding students’ schedules can be, but she believes that service should still remain a priority.
“We understand that our students have busy schedules trying to balance school, sports, extracurriculars and their personal activities,” Cisneros said. “That’s why the Community Service Office offers a variety of pre-approved service opportunities during the week, but mostly on weekends.”
While it may be difficult to see the value of spending a Sunday morning at a food pantry or community center, the impact that someone can have on those being served is often significant. For families relying on donated meals or individuals seeking shelter and support, those few volunteer hours can make a real difference in their lives.
“Community service enriches lives, helps develop a variety of skills and strengthens connections with society, benefiting both our students and the community,” Cisneros said.
The school works to create an environment where service is accessible and encouraged, but it also knows that it can not force students to go beyond the 15 hours required each year.
“The Community Service Office is helping plant a seed, an interest in serving the community,” Cisneros said. “Therefore, we require 15 hours of service per school year. Sometimes this seed grows into a tree in the future, which we might not see until our students have graduated.”
This philosophy echoes in the St. Mark’s Community Service Brochure, which states, “The goal of our program is to foster empathy, develop an appreciation for a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and to encourage students to step out of their traditional daily interactions.”
Whether at Genesis Women’s Shelter, Austin Street Center, Habitat for Humanity or the Wesley Rankin Community Center, showing up for a few hours can impact someone’s day or even their life in ways that are impossible to predict. In a culture so focused on achievement, community service offers students something unique. It offers them a chance to slow down, look outward and make a difference that goes far beyond any award or any résumé item.
