Faith Alive Service Program
Our Program, Requirements, Opportunities and Projects
Our Program
The Faith Alive Program gives students the opportunity to be servants of Christ through serving the local community. Through participation students will have a fuller understanding of why we are called to love our neighbor along with God and self.
The Faith Alive Christian Service Learning Program of Schlarman Academy is founded upon the Gospel Message of Jesus, “love one another as I have loved you.” Essential to the Gospel message and the teachings of the Catholic Church are the beliefs in the dignity and worth of each person and the calling of Christians to respond to those in need.
“Therefore, there must be made available to all people everything necessary for leading a life truly human, such as food, clothing and shelter; the right to choose a state of life freely and to found a family, the right to education, to employment, to a good reputation, to respect, to appropriate information, to activity in accord with the upright norm of one’s own conscience, to protection of privacy and to rightful freedom in matters religious too.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Paragraph 26)
The Faith Alive program invites students to reach outside themselves in the Spirit of Christ. Through religion classes’ students are instructed in the teachings of the Catholic Church and the message of the Gospel. Faith Alive is designed to complement this learning with “hands on” experience to aid students in recognizing a broader perspective of community and their unique roles in building Christian community.
It challenges students through an experience of service to others so as to live more concretely the faith passed on to us through Jesus Christ. Faith Alive fosters the building of the kingdom of God by enabling students to overcome fears, prejudices and stereotypes associated with different racial and ethnic groups, the poor, the mentally and physically disabled, and the elderly.
“The experience of Christian community leads naturally to service. Christ gives his people different gifts not only for themselves but also for others. Each must serve others for the good of all. The Church is a servant community in which those who hunger are to be filled; the ignorant are to be taught; the homeless to receive shelter; the distressed consoled; the sick cared for; the oppressed set free – all so that men and women may more fully realize their human potential and more readily enjoy life with God now and eternally.” (To Teach as Jesus Did, #28).
A variety of opportunities exist to accommodate the interests and gifts of all students. Parish and community projects enable students to serve those in need through a rich diversity of opportunities. The basic guidelines for a good project are the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy — traditional Catholic actions of service.
Christian Service enables young people to move beyond self-centered concern to a Christ-like selflessness and other-centered love. Students develop a sense of citizenship and appreciate the responsibility to make a positive contribution for the common good. A service project also encourages students to broaden their knowledge or pursue a particular career area.
Developing a good Faith Alive project is essential. Parents and students are invited to work together in researching opportunities of service. While students may seek to develop a project in association with any number of social agencies or faith communities, a list of some agencies that students have worked with in the past is provided in this handbook.
One of the goals of Faith Alive is for students and their parents to explore the needs of our community. While a list of agencies is provided, matching up a student with a project remains the responsibility of the student and their parents.
Junior High Service Requirements
To establish a pattern of Christian service, Schlarman Academy students are expected, as a requirement of the promotion, to perform community service during their 7th and 8th grade years as follows. These hours are separate from required confirmation hours due to your local parish.
Seventh Grade: 10 hours by the end of seventh grade.
Eighth Grade: 15 hours by the end of eighth grade.
*Students new in 7th or 8th grade second semester must complete 5 hours.
Students may begin earning service hours during the summer between 6th and 7th grade.
Service projects are to be completed under adult supervision. To receive credit for hours earned, it is the student’s responsibility to ask supervising adult to sign a service slip (see forms on the right side of this page.) Return all completed slips to your religion teacher.
While service is stated in hours, the true goal of this requirement is to foster a pattern of Christian service and awareness in our students that reaches far beyond graduation day.
Below is only a partial list of available service opportunities. Students may find other opportunities within their parish and community. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the junior high teachers or Mrs. Rew, Interim Principal. Also, if you become aware of a project or event in need of volunteers, please let Mrs. Rew know, as she would be happy to post it for the students to sign up.
- Walk for Life – Usually in September, Sign up at the Women’s Care Clinic – 431-0987
- Festival of Trees – Early November
- Pet Therapy – 1st Thursday of the month – North Logan Health Care
- Peer Court – Court House
- Faith in Action – Sign up with your family for leaf Raking Day in November
- Church Receptions & Dinners – Confirmation – November, First Communion – April or May American Red Cross
- Arts in the Park – Late June
Other Opportunities
- Service to the elderly in your neighborhood or parish (rake leaves, shovel snow, help with grocery shopping or errands, house cleaning, letter writing, reading, pet walking, etc.)
- Organize a neighborhood clean-up, “Adopt-a-Block” – keep sidewalks and gutter free of litter
- Visit area residents at area nursing homes – play games and share your talents; reading, musical, etc.
- Plan a car wash & donate the money to help a local charity
- Make greeting cards or placemats for nursing homes, Veteran’s or Presence hospitals Write letters to shut-ins.
- Tutor younger students
Families are welcome to come up with your own service ideas. Most students enjoy doing service for their parish and community, and exceed the 25 hour requirement for graduation.
Grades 9-12
Blue Service Project
Definition of a Spontaneous Project: Those service opportunities that suddenly arise and which are not of an on-going nature. This project must be a minimum of 1 hour. Service hours cannot be awarded for projects related to another class project, club, sport or fundraiser. Service hours are not awarded during school hours unless completed off school property.
A maximum of 40% of total service hours can come from Blue Project Service hours.
Service project hours are not performed for a family member. Any project completed for family should be done out of the love in your heart for your family, not to earn service hours.
Here’s what to do when you complete a Blue Project Service Hour:
Upon completion of the project, complete the Blue Service Project Follow-Up Form. Forms are available on the right side of this page.
Please be timely in completing this writing. Service hours will not be completed until the Blue Project Service Form is turned in. This writing is to be turned in to Mrs. Rew or Mrs. Underwood.
Grades 9-12
Gold Service Project
Gold Service Projects must be approved by the Faith Alive Program Director or Faith Alive Committee BEFORE the project is started. Failure to do so will result in a loss of credit for the project. Gold Service Projects have a minimum of 10 hours served for each project. A minimum of 60% of required service hours MUST be gold service hours. The hours must be served at an outside organization or church. The follow up form must be completed before hours are awarded.
Completion of the Faith Alive Service Learning Program is a requirement for graduation from Schlarman Academy. The Faith Alive program is designed to encourage students to personally undertake the message and mission of Jesus by serving those in need. Our guidelines for all projects are the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Each Gold Project will be approved on the basis of how well it encompasses those Works and how much direct person-to-person contact will occur.
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Clothe the naked
- Shelter the homeless
- Visit the sick
- Visit the imprisoned
- Bury the dead
- Counsel the doubtful
- Instruct the ignorant
- Admonish the sinner
- Comfort the sorrowful
- Forgive injuries
- Bear wrongs patiently
- Pray for the living and dead
