FLVS Students Exceed Community Service Goal

It’s no secret that our Florida Virtual School (FLVS) students are amazing and take their education seriously, but did you know many of our students also have a penchant for generously volunteering in their communities? This 2019-20 school year, Mae Martin, Student Activities Coordinator, reported that FLVS Student Club members completed 3,439 volunteer hours, surpassing last year’s total and goal. Additionally, FLVS Full Time High School students recorded nearly 31,000 cumulative community service hours that qualify for Bright Future Scholarships when they graduate.

Community service is defined as “work that is done without pay to help people in a community,” but many find that they, themselves, receive a great deal from serving. Volunteering can help students make friends, build confidence, learn new skills, and even feel happier and healthier by helping others and worthwhile causes. It is also a way to network and provide career building opportunities.

FLVS National Junior Honor Society

FLVS Full Time Middle School students of our National Junior Honor Society led the charge this year by completing 2,409 individual service hours. Under the leadership of club sponsor Megan Morey-Lee, they “played” Random-Act-of-Kindness Bingo as a club during the holidays where every student chose five actions to complete in the community. This included collecting food for local pantries and writing supportive notes to teachers. Other volunteer acts of service were “adopting” elderly neighbors by delivering groceries and taking care of outside chores like lawns and windows, making masks to help with personal protective equipment shortages, and serving at local humane societies.

FLVS Full Time Peer Tutors

The FLVS Full Time Peer Tutors, led by club sponsor Jennifer Garry, completed 283 hours. Students supported teacher-led lessons for Algebra 1, Liberal Arts Math, and Pre-algebra. A special acknowledgment to students Wei “Matt” Wu and Alanna Allion who completed 53 and 48 hours (respectively) of peer tutoring assistance.

FLVS National Elementary Honor Society

Even FLVS Elementary students also have the opportunity to serve their community. It is actually one of the requirements for students in FLVS National Elementary Honor Society. Club sponsor Meghan Ortiz shared that they try to plan service around monthly themes. For example, April (Earth Day) is dedicated to community cleanup efforts. She said there’s lots of opportunity for students to serve in the online setting. She organized “read alouds” where students in 4th/5th grade selected a picture book to read to Kindergarten-2nd grade students. Other times, students can volunteer to help the teacher manage the chat box or assist in breakout rooms.

Ms. Ortiz said, “By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of others. My goal is to give our young leaders the tools, confidence, and motivation to achieve their dreams.”  

These are just a few examples of community service efforts this year completed by our FLVS Student Club members. Participating in one or more of the many FLVS student clubs and activities is a great way to connect with others and get involved—both at school and in the community. Congratulations on achieving such an inspiring goal and thank you for continuing to serve your community and beyond!  

Have a suggestion, comment, or student to spotlight that you’d like to share? Comment below or email socialmedia@flvs.net. Subscribe to The Virtual Voice blog to help keep you connected and follow Florida Virtual School on Facebook for updates and information.

Post by Suzan Kurdak, former FLVS Communications Specialist