Student Service Learning (SSL)

  • Attention all students! If you are looking to earn SSL hours, follow @mcpsvolunteers on Instagram and Twitter! You’ll be able to find out about current SSL opportunities and other important information regarding the 75-hour SSL graduation requirement!

Student Service Learning Graduation Requirement (https://bit.ly/2024SummerSSL)

Please return SSL forms inside the counseling office in grade level bin.

SSL Form Submission Deadline -

SSL hours completed in the summer need to be turned in by September 27, 2024.

The last day to turn in SSL forms for the 2024-2025 school year is May 30, 2025.

 

Remember summer is a great time to work on SSL hours to reach the 75 hours needed for graduation. 

 

Please turn in forms on the SSL bulletin board outside the counseling office.

MCPS SSL Hub has all information regarding opportunities and SSL information. https://bit.ly/SSLHubMCPS

Students are sent a newsletter the first Friday of every month with SSL opportunities.

SSL Form

If an organization is not an approved SSL sight, please fill out this preapproval form before you complete the hours to see if it can be approved. 

Upcoming SSL opportunities listed below:

Summer is a wonderful time for students to engage in SSL opportunities and earn SSL hours towards meeting the 75-hour state graduation requirement! 

Middle school and high school students should continue earning SSL hours towards their SSL graduation requirement by engaging in SSL opportunities during the summer, including traditional in-person opportunities and select virtual/remote opportunities that follow the guidelines posted on the MCPS SSL webpage (www.mcps-ssl.org).

  • Great and Small Farm: Great and Small Farm is looking for volunteers. They are looking for leaders and side walkers for our afternoon weekday lessons and Saturdays as well. The next orientation is November 9 at 1:30. Please reach out to  their volunteer coordinator, Rachel Doyle at rdoyle@greatandsmallride.org if interested. 

  • KID Teen Programs
  • The Melodic Minors

  • Kind Works

    *NOTE: Students may earn SSL hours ONLY for the time spent preparing and/or making items (i.e. chopping, boiling, cooking, baking), but students may not earn SSL hours for donating purchased/store-bought items.

    You can browse our upcoming SSL opportunities on our website. Our main SSL opportunities for the year are linked below for your convenience. 

  • Speak Up, Save A Life” PSA Contest (Deadline: November 8, 2024) - The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office is hosting a Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest for middle school and high school students that challenges teens to create an original video to promote awareness of the dangers of opioid abuse or overdose and fentanyl among teens. Participants who submit a PSA that meets the contest requirements will earn 10 SSL hours and have a chance to win prizes. To learn more, please visit this link: https://montgomerycountymd.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=983160 
  • Students Teaching Students Video Series (Ongoing) - MCPS is seeking students interested in creating a video presentation that teaches a skill or process that would be inspiring or useful for students in middle or high school. Students may earn 10 SSL hours for successful submission of all items identified in the submission form.
  • Project Linus
  • Maggie Nightingale Tutoring Opportunity
  • Brooke Grove Rehab Center needs volunteers! 
  • Female students needed to help local wedding dress shop. . Saint Marys Brides For Haiti Shop  is locatedat 22210 Mt Ephraim RD in Dickerson near Dickerson Market. We sell wedding dresses to raise money for our twin parish in Haiti. Help is needed with managing the inventory, on-site social marketing,  and possibly assisting our sales team. 
    Please call Susan Jamison at 301-525-1555 or email her at SusanJamison3@gmail.com. Thank you. 

  • Teenworks Volunteers
  • Arise and Flourish is a nonprofit organization based in Montgomery County, Maryland that speaks to students in their health classes about substance abuse prevention by sharing stories from persons in long-term recovery. We bring together like-minded organizations and individuals to share ideas and information concerning the critical social needs created by alcohol and drug dependency in the Washington Metro area.  Arise Flourish advances specific solutions for those needs through prevention, education, fundraising, and issue awareness activities.  

    Students will need to visit the Montgomery County Volunteer Center (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/) and in the red box “Find a Volunteer Opportunity”, type in Arise and Flourish. Students will find the volunteer opportunity for the cycle of addiction video review project.  This SSL opportunity has been approved by the MCPS SSL department. Please let the students know NOT to use their MCPS email address as we will not be able to respond to them.

    Once students respond for the volunteer opportunity on the site, we will send the student/parent permission slip and detailed volunteer information. Please make sure the students do NOT use their MCPS email address as we will not be able to respond to them. Students will watch two video presentations provided by our organization. One video is our speakers who are people in recovery who share their personal experience. The second video is the presentation on the cycle of addiction which has information on how addiction happens. 

    Students have the ability to earn the following for the quality completion of this project: 

    1) Earn 1 SSL hour for watching one speaker video and the video for the cycle of addiction and completing one paper or artwork or;

    2) Earn up to 4 SSL hours for watching up to 4 speaker videos along with the one video for the cycle of addiction and completing 4 papers or 4 artworks.

    Students can watch anywhere from 1 - 4 speaker videos and the video for the cycle of addiction and completing one paper or artwork for EACH speaker video watched.

  • My name is Andrea Lopez, and I am a Clinical Research Assistant at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD) at Children’s National. Our research program is seeking volunteers to assist with studies on autistic children and young adults.  A flyer describing the position is here. This is an excellent professional opportunity for students interested in psychology research, and we look forward to meeting capable and enthusiastic candidates.  
  • Mo County Volunteer Center
     
    This SSL Opportunity is sanctioned and approved with the graduation cap seal of approval by the Mo County Volunteer Center.

Student Service Learning Graduation Requirement

Summer is a wonderful time for students to engage in SSL opportunities and earn SSL hours towards meeting the 75-hour state graduation requirement! 

Middle school and high school students should continue earning SSL hours towards their SSL graduation requirement by engaging in SSL opportunities over the summer, including traditional in-person opportunities and select virtual/remote opportunities that follow the guidelines posted on the MCPS SSL webpage (www.mcps-ssl.org). 

Please review the following important information for the MCPS SSL program:

All Nonprofit Hosted Opportunities https://bit.ly/SSLOpportunities
Nonprofit-hosted Virtual/Remote Opps https://bit.ly/VirtualSSL2020
Overview of SSL Program and Forms https://bit.ly/SSLOverview2020
Guidelines for Virtual/Remote Service https://bit.ly/VirtualSSLGuidelines
Checking SSL on Student/ParentVUE https://bit.ly/SSLonVUE
Interactive Flowchart for SSL Process https://bit.ly/SSLLiveFlowchart
SSL Search Tips on MCVC Website https://bit.ly/SSLSearchTips 
MCPS SSL Hub for Students/Families https://bit.ly/SSLHubMCPS

The requirement for the Certificate of Meritorious Service is 240 or more hours.  Seniors must turn in these hours by March 30th in order to be considered for the award.

The MCPS Student Post Newsletter will be sent out to students the first Friday of every month.

 

FOR STUDENTS/FAMILIES:

UPDATES to County SSL Guidlines/ Information