PROGRAM ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO HELP OTHERS; NOTRE DAME CHRISTIAN SERVICE PROGRAM IN ITS SECOND YEAR

Students at Notre Dame High School are being encouraged to take a little time from their schoolwork and activities to devote attention to the needs of others.

Notre Dame's Christian Service Program is in its second year and gives students an opportunity to earn junior varsity and varsity letters for volunteerism.

Besides athletics, Notre Dame already awards school letters for academics. By rewarding volunteerism with letters, school officials believe it shows students how important taking time to serve others is.

"What we are saying with that is that it is every bit as important to us as academics and sports," said Mark Koehler, chairman of the theology department and coordinator of the service program.

"This is another way of saying that this is an important part of the overall person."

Because Notre Dame is a Christian high school, both Koehler and School Counselor Brad Wittenborn believe it is only natural to stress the importance of serving others.

"We started the program because we feel our school is devoted to teaching the whole student," Koehler said. "We felt the response to Jesus Christ is for us to get out and serve others. If we are teaching Christian philosophy, we need to stress that."

Wittenborn points out that in today's rushed society with students pressured for time between school studies and activities, jobs and other things, it is easy for students to lose sight of the need to serve others.

"Kids can get caught up in their own little world. In a Christian school like we are, we need to stress that we are called to reach out to others," Wittenborn said.

"Students need to be concerned about others not as fortunate as they are, and I think this is a way we can encourage that."

There is a trend in secondary education, not only in Catholic schools but also public schools, to encourage students to provide some service to others. Some programs require mandatory service.

But Koehler said in devising its program, Notre Dame was careful not to make volunteer work something forced on students. He feels that if it is true volunteerism, it is more likely to be carried over into adult life.

Students interested in being part of the program talk with Koehler about groups they want to volunteer with. As volunteer work is completed, adult supervisors sign cards to verify work was done satisfactorily.

Many students help at the two hospitals, though others have assisted in tutoring high school and elementary students, assisted with youth athletic programs, Scouting, with church Vacation Bible schools, and other activities.

"Basically, where they work depends on where they have some talent that they feel is useful to others," Koehler said.

Students earn a junior varsity letter for attaining 80 hours of service during their high school careers, and can earn a varsity letter for 120 hours. They can earn a bar for their letter for each additional 40 hours of service they provide.

"It does give a student not gifted in athletics or academics to earn a letter here," Koehler said. "Everybody is capable of service."

At the end of the last school year, Koehler awarded six varsity letters to graduating seniors. At the start of this school year, two varsity and five junior varsity letters were awarded.

So far this year, Koehler said about 35 students have turned in some volunteer hours with the program. Other students are planning to begin working sometime during the school year.

One student has taken the service program quite seriously. Alicia Chapman, a junior, has already compiled more than 400 hours of volunteer service, giving her the lead over all other students in hours so far.