The Mission Statement of St. Mary's High School includes our goal to "form thestudent's character by giving witness to Jesus Christ." Service to others is acornerstone of Christianity. We are called to serve like Jesus did. By reaching out toothers we increase our understanding, knowledge, and empathy for the world aroundus. We also respond to our Lord's plea to "Love one another as I have loved you."As stated in the St. Mary's High School Philosophy Statement, "As a community webelieve people have a responsibility to one another."The minimum Service Hour Requirement for all grade levels is as follows:1. Freshmen - 10 Hours2. Sophomores - 20 Hours3. Juniors - 30 Hours*4. Seniors - 40 Hours*Service hours for the 2016-2017 school year may be started on June 30, 2016, andmust be completed by May 1, 2017, for Seniors and June 1, 2017, for Underclassmen.Students must complete all of their mandatory service hours in order to pass theirreligion course. Seniors will not be allowed to graduate with unfinished service hours.Service to others does not include any service that benefits you personally. Forexample, if your softball team sponsors a garage sale and you work at that event, youmay not count that for service hours. The proceeds are benefiting you and yourteam. The goal of service hours is to benefit others and to experience newopportunities and situations.Household chores for family members do not count as service hours.Babysitting/house sitting do not count as service hours.*For Juniors and Seniors, at least half of their Service Hours must be for anorganization other than St. Mary’s High School.