BETHLEHEM, Pa. — For years, Bethlehem Area School District has required seniors to reach 60 hours of community service to qualify for graduation.
Those who go above and beyond 135 service hours — such as Freedom High School senior Hannah Halm — wear a silver cord at graduation.
Halm said that the 60-hour requirement can seem daunting to students at first, but most find volunteer activities they enjoy.
Community service coordinators Jennifer Medina-Santiago and Langston Ross say they want students to feel connected to their volunteer work.
“Our goal is for them to acquire the significance of serving the community,” said Medina-Santiago, who works at Freedom.
“When [students] do something that is not only pleasing to them, but also helps the community, I think it helps them greatly achieve not only the goal, which is to meet the requirements, but also a personal reward of knowing, ‘I've helped but I've also enjoyed the time along the way.’”
Although it’s a graduation requirement, Ross wants students to have a real stake in their volunteer work.
“I've just been able to see the value in giving back to a community that's given me so much.”Hannah Halm, Freedom High School senior
He said the program encourages students to take pride in their community and explore potential career paths.
“Yeah, it’s a graduation requirement, but get involved in your community,” Ross said. “Have some real stake in where you live and build a network.
"Part of the way students are going to be successful down the road is through meeting people in their community and building that work network for potential jobs in the future or career pathways.”
Varied experiences
Students at both Freedom and Bethlehem's Liberty High School can start working toward their 60 hours as soon as the summer before their freshman year.
It’s possible to earn up to 30 volunteer hours during that summer.
“We want them to get some high school experience and explore some other options that are out there.”BASD Literacy Supervisor Kimberly Harper
BASD Literacy Supervisor Kimberly Harper said it's capped there because the district wants students to use the remaining 30 hours to explore potential career avenues or different interests.
“We want them to get some high school experience and explore some other options that are out there,” Harper said.
“Now they might decide, ‘Hey, I'm still going to continue with the agency I did before,’ but it's a chance for them to experience some different options.”
For Halm, who has 220 community service hours, the latter turned out to be true.
Halm began cycling at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center when she was 9 years old. A few years later, she joined its Bicycle Racing League and never looked back.
Giving back
Today Halm volunteer-coaches the same programs that helped her become the athlete she is: Pee Wee Pedalers, Youth Cycling Program and the Bicycle Racing League.
There, she helps teach young people how to cycle the center’s velodrome.
“She's not afraid to take initiative, to step in when someone needs help. She's very proactive in volunteering and giving her time and the expertise that she has already as a pretty young athlete.”Kate Geist, Hannah Halm's cycling coach
Her coach, Kate Geist, said she was surprised by Halm’s maturity when they first met two years ago.
“She's not afraid to take initiative, to step in when someone needs help,” Geist said. “She's very proactive in volunteering and giving her time and the expertise that she has already as a pretty young athlete.”
Halm said she loves that volunteering brings her in contact with other like-minded peers. Following graduation, she plans to study nutrition at Cedar Crest College in Allentown.
In August, she’ll head to Washington state, where she’ll compete in the USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships with goals for a podium finish.
“I've just been able to see the value in giving back to a community that's given me so much,” Halm said.
“Once I experienced that, I didn't want to quit at just 60 hours. I saw how special it made me feel when I was just 9 years old starting out, and I want to help other people experience that.”
