Service - How to Earn Points
How do I earn points, and who keeps track of my total?
One point equals one hour of service, but you may also earn points for things that go beyond time involved. If you organize an event, for example, you might earn 5 service leadership points. If you donate three cans of food for a school-related food drive, that equals one service point. When service is earned through school-related service-learning activities, teachers will communicate possible points to you in advance. Community service completed outside of school will be calculated with the “one hour = one point” formula; organizers or supervisors of the service event will be asked to sign off on your participation by completing a Site Visit Verification Form. YOU enter all points into the online logging system (www.x2vol.com), and all points will be verified through either online verifications or checking the hard copies of the Site Visit Verification Forms that will be kept in a binder in the AGS Office. YOU must remember to turn in the Site Visit Verification Forms. By May 1 of each year, all service must be electronically logged and all forms must be in binders, then grade level teams will check verifications and approve service points. Sound confusing? It's not, really. You'll go through an orientation through English class, and your teachers can answer questions for you.
What counts as service? What doesn't?
AGS considers SERVICE to be helping people, animals, or planets in need. If you are donating your time (for free!) to work with children or the elderly or people with special needs, that almost always counts. Helping out with animal shelters or participating in environmental activities like park or creek clean-up events will count. Volunteering and serving aren't always the same thing, though. If you are volunteering to help set up for an event, be sure that the event ultimately helps people in need. If you are volunteering someone who is not necessarily in need (a campaign candidate, for example), there may be a cap on your points. Please go to the WHAT COUNTS? tab for a breakdown.
One point equals one hour of service, but you may also earn points for things that go beyond time involved. If you organize an event, for example, you might earn 5 service leadership points. If you donate three cans of food for a school-related food drive, that equals one service point. When service is earned through school-related service-learning activities, teachers will communicate possible points to you in advance. Community service completed outside of school will be calculated with the “one hour = one point” formula; organizers or supervisors of the service event will be asked to sign off on your participation by completing a Site Visit Verification Form. YOU enter all points into the online logging system (www.x2vol.com), and all points will be verified through either online verifications or checking the hard copies of the Site Visit Verification Forms that will be kept in a binder in the AGS Office. YOU must remember to turn in the Site Visit Verification Forms. By May 1 of each year, all service must be electronically logged and all forms must be in binders, then grade level teams will check verifications and approve service points. Sound confusing? It's not, really. You'll go through an orientation through English class, and your teachers can answer questions for you.
What counts as service? What doesn't?
AGS considers SERVICE to be helping people, animals, or planets in need. If you are donating your time (for free!) to work with children or the elderly or people with special needs, that almost always counts. Helping out with animal shelters or participating in environmental activities like park or creek clean-up events will count. Volunteering and serving aren't always the same thing, though. If you are volunteering to help set up for an event, be sure that the event ultimately helps people in need. If you are volunteering someone who is not necessarily in need (a campaign candidate, for example), there may be a cap on your points. Please go to the WHAT COUNTS? tab for a breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do we have to do this? Yes. If you want to earn the endorsement for completing the ISSN (International Studies Schools Network) graduation requirements, you must earn 80 points. To earn a "Globie" service award, you must earn 120 points or more. If you earn fewer than the minimum points expected, you will receive a partial/participation endorsement rather than a full/completion endorsement from AGS.
- What if I bring in 120 cans of food? Am I finished for the year? No. We want your service points to represent a variety of activities and span across all four years of the program.
- What if I did tons of service during the summer? Good for you! We will count your points if you have verification of your service, but we cap summer service points at 30 hours per summer. Our expectation is that students are participating in service in an ongoing and meaningful manner, and that students find service opportunities each year they are enrolled in AGS.
- I switched into AGS after my 9th grade year. Do I have to earn 120 points? Speak to the AGS Director about what you will need to do in order to receive the full endorsement (which also involves coursework, travel experiences, and demonstrating mastery of the Global Leadership Performance Outcomes). For the service points, however, we adjust the expectation to 20 points per year that you are enrolled in AGS.
- I babysit my little sister all the time. Does that count? Nope. That’s a nice thing to do to “serve” your family, but that doesn’t require you to become involved in your community. Unloading the dishwasher doesn’t count, either. What if I babysit for the kids next door? Does that count as the community? That depends. Are you getting paid? If “yes,” then it’s not community service. Service should be something you offer to others without being asked, and without being compensated for your work. Service should be geared to help those in need. Break out of your comfort zone.
- What about donating goods – is that service? When AGS or AHS sponsors some kind of drive, we do think you’re helping out your community, and we will award points. Outside of school, though, it is not possible for us to track the clothing items you donate to Goodwill or similar good deeds. If you want to design a project that involves collecting goods for an organization, you can get credit for the hours you spend designing the service project/collecting goods.
- What about volunteering during special events like ACL or SXSW or Fun Runs? It depends on what you’re doing. There are certainly opportunities during special events that benefit our community, but if you are being compensated for your time (you get in for free if you work at a t-shirt booth, for example), then you are not volunteering your time for free. The Service Committee will make the final call on whether or not points are awarded, but we typically do not award points unless you are working for a cause that helps a group in need.
- What if I already do service for Student Council, my church, scouting, Volunteer Club, etc? Double dipping is allowed. It counts. If you are working with another organization to help people in need or to solve a community problem, then turn in a Site Visit Verification Form and log it online. Fundraising for a club or organization (such as selling cookie dough for basketball, working at a carnival booth for band, teaching at a camp in order to raise money for your organization) is a great thing to do, but does not earn service points. If the debate team decides to build a house for Habitat for Humanity, then you can count that as service to our community.
- Who can sign off on my service hours? Anyone in a supervisory position may sign off that you have completed hours of service, but we don’t accept signatures from moms/dads unless they are the organizer of the event.
- Where do all of the points go? Do I need to keep my log at the end of each year? Each May, your team of teachers will verify your total “points so far” and verify your points in an online database so that you and all AGS teachers can access your data. You will be able to access the data as long as you are enrolled as a student at Austin High School. If you would like to keep a record of service for applying to colleges, etc., make a photocopy of your forms prior to turning them in to the binders in the AGS Office. Points earned prior to May 1st do no roll forward if they are not claimed. Points earned after May 1st may be claimed the following year.
- How does service affect my grade? Sometimes academic work will be linked to service, like writing a required Idea Book entry that reflects on service or participating in a service-learning activity like water conservation in math. Several of the learning expeditions are tied to community service or service learning, and may include an academic component.
- What if I don’t have time? Consider designing a service project that you can do during lunch or volunteering tutoring time after school. If you are fully committed during your school year, consider breaks like Thanksgiving, the Winter Break, and Spring Break – there are always opportunities to serve!
- How do I find out about service opportunities? Check out the tracking website: www.x2vol.com or the AGS website: www.austinhighglobal.org, and keep an eye on the service bulletin board in the 9th/10th grade hallway.
- How do I log my points? Simple:
- Step 1: Go serve. Get your supervisor to sign a Site Visit Verification Form (or any other document verifying that you participated in community service.)
- Step 2: Go online to the electronic logging system (www.x2vol.com, under the Service tab) and enter the information into your profile. (All students will go through an orientation explaining how to create an x2vol.com profile.)
- Step 3: Turn in the verification form to the binder in the AGS Office.
- Note: No verification form is necessary for travel-related service points.
- What if I have more questions? Talk to your teachers; we’ll solve big questions in Service Committee meetings.