Christian Service Learning

Christian Service, or reaching out to those in need because of your Christian call to holiness, is an essential part of what it means to be a follower of Christ and a contributing member of society. Loving our neighbor implies a willingness to be of service and to reach beyond ourselves to those in need.

Christian Service Requirements

Students must complete 120 hours of Christian service in order to graduate. Most go way beyond that. For details on rolling over your service hours from one year to the next to reach 120, please contact our Director of Christian Service Learning.

Christian Service Hours 2020-2021:

Once the students have completed their minimum number of hours in each of the areas, their remaining hours can be served in any category. We are hoping that these practices will create a positive feeling toward service and create a desire to continue serving after they graduate from NDP.

The minimum number of hours required for each grade level are as follows:

Juniors/Seniors                            Sophomores                                     Freshman
Place of Worship: 2 Place of Worship: 3 Place of Worship: 4
Notre Dame Preparatory: 2 Notre Dame Preparatory: 3             Notre Dame Preparatory: 4
Community: 4 Community: 7 Community: 10
Poor and Marginalized: 8 Poor and Marginalized: 20                Poor and Marginalized: 30

Each semester, a minimum number of hours must be submitted in order for students to receive a passing grade. For first semester, on or before Dec. 1, 2020, students are required to have the following minimum hours submitted (Note: if a student is signed up for and has paid the down payment for a Mission Trip during the Spring/2^nd Semester, he or she will not be required to have the minimum for 1^st Semester):
Seniors/Juniors: 15 Hours
Sophomores: 10 Hours
Freshman: 8 Hours

For second semester, hours must be verified on or before May 4, 2021, students are required to have the following minimum hours submitted:
Seniors/Juniors: 30 Hours
Sophomores: 25 Hours
Freshman: 15 Hours

In summary, extra hours completed during the school year are eligible to be rolled over to fulfill requirements for the following school year. Students must complete 120 total hours by graduation, but the rollover policy will give students and families more flexibility when their hours are served. We hope that this increased flexibility in the service policy will add to the positive experience of Christian Service, and that NDP students will make a decision to continue serving after they graduate.

All of our mission trips are on the NDP website under The Service Trip Experience. In addition to our mission trips, we offer a summer school class called the Urban Plunge where students get class credit and all of their hours completed for the semester.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Dinges at sdinges@ndpsaints.org

Christian Service to the School (Educational)

Any service that directly benefits the school. The service must be verified by a Notre Dame Prep school employee. This includes, but is not limited to:

Summer sports camps for younger students
Institutional advancement events such as Annual Auction and Fashion Show or Golf Tournament
Helping in the Saints Store or with Scrip sales.
Singing in the choir at Diocesan events
Frosh Night Out

Christian Service to a Place of Worship (Faith Based)

This includes any service done at a church, synagogue or other place of worship. Service must be verified by an employee of the place of worship and cannot be verified by a parent. Includes, but is not limited to the following:

Vacation Bible School Volunteer
Youth Leader
Lector, Choir, Altar Server, Usher
Nursery Volunteer
Catechist
Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast Volunteer

Christian Service to the Community (Humanitarian Aid)

This category of Christian Service Learning should benefit a nonprofit agency that directly helps the poor and marginalized. Please see the agency website for volunteer opportunities and to sign up for Christian Service. Some agencies have specific requirements. If you would like to serve at an agency that is not listed below, please email the Christian Service Learning Coordinator for approval BEFORE you serve. Approved agencies include, but are not limited to:

Andre House
Anthony Bates Foundation
Back to School Clothing Drive
Boys and Girls Clubs (various locations)
Catholic Charities
Chrysalis Center
Circle of the City
City of Scottsdale Pauite Tutoring
Extended Hands Food Bank
Family Promise
Feed My Starving Children
Foothills Food Bank
Gigi's Playhouse
Habitat for Humanity
Happily Ever After League
Homebase Youth Services
Horsense
Horses Help
Hospice of Arizona
Hospice of the Valley
KEEN Sports
Maggie's Place
MANNA House
Miracle League of Arizona
Neighborhood Ministries
Paradise Valley Emergency Food Bank
PAZ de Christo Community Center
Phoenix Rescue Mission
Project Cure
Reach Out and Read
Salvation Army
Scottsdale Senior Centers (all locations)
Silverado Senior Living
Shoebox Ministry
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Special Olympics of Arizona
St. Mary's Food Bank
Teen Lifeline
UMOM
United Cerebral Palsy of Arizona
United Food Bank
Vista Del Camino Community Center
Welcome to America Project

Incoming Freshman Christian Service Information

At the beginning of the school year, Freshmen will receive a visit during their theology classes from our Christian Service Learning coordinator to discuss Christian service hours and Freshman Plunge.

The Freshman Plunge is a school day of service that each freshman does with members of their House. They will either work at St. Mary's Food Bank or serve lunch to the homeless at St. Vincent de Paul. The purpose of the Freshman Plunge is to ignite a spark for serving others in our freshman and to give them a convenient way to log their first of many hours that they will serve in their four years at NDP.

Freshman Plunge

Members of our freshman class will plunge into Christian service for the first time when they lend a hand at either St. Mary's Food Bank or St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall with House. Throughout the first semester, freshman students and their teachers will serve together and see first-hand how helping others, helps NDP students develop a love for Christ and for those in need of our help.

Additional information for the Christian Service page: Please check our school calendar for dates. For more information, contact Shelley Dinges, in the Office of Mission and Ministry.

Christian Service vs Community Service

Christian Service is being the hands of Jesus in the world. It is based on Matthew 25. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Mt 25:35-36)

Christian Service examples (what Jesus did)

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty: Andre House, SVDP, Phoenix Rescue Mission, ICM foodbank, Foothills Foodbank, Extended Hands Food Bank, Feed My Starving Children.

Visit the imprisoned: Silverado Care Facility, Vi retirement home, Scottsdale Senior Centers.

Taking care of the sick and those in need: KEEN Sports, Miracle League, Gigi’s Playhouse, HEAL House, Hope Kids, any local hospital, Equine Therapy, Special Olympics.

Faith based service: Passing on your faith through teaching, Mass ministries, spiritual and pastoral care for life affirming choices.

Community Service examples (Jesus did NOT do these things, but they are still a good thing!)

Volunteer at walks and runs to support a nonprofit agency (must be pre-approved)

Volunteer at festivals to support schools or churches.

Volunteer with animals to help disadvantaged children or those sick in the hospital (must be pre-approved)

Activities to support the NDP community, such as help in the Institutional Advancement Office, help with specific NDP events.

Service and The House System

Service is encouraged to be done within the House. Each House is encouraged, with the help of the Director of Christian Service Learning, to plan and implement at least one service opportunity each academic year.

The service opportunity can be done after school, as well as on weekends. The Director of Christian Service Learning will organize transportation and make sure all permission slips are in order to keep our students safe if necessary, but would like to have each house plan a service opportunity that can be done on campus.

Examples of this include shoe box ministry, making blankets, and making rosaries. House families are encouraged to serve together, with the help of the Director of Christian Service Learning. The goal is to help students become people of life-long service.

The Freshman in each house will be introduced to Christian Service by being plunged into the world of Christian Service their first semester at Notre Dame Prep. They will serve the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized through various nonprofit organizations during one day first semester. Students are required to make up any missed class work according to academic guidelines for the day they miss school to serve others.

Each house will be responsible for one donation drive or money drive during their particular month. The drive must be for a particular nonprofit organization that directly helps those in dire need.

Service During COVID-19

During the period quarantine and social distancing, we want to reduce stress and anxiety on our students as best we can.

NDP is temporarily changing our Christian Service hours policy. Our first priority is to keep our students safe and healthy. It is important for students to stay home and limit socializing or sadly, serving at organizations where our students usually complete their hours. We do still feel strongly that serving others is very important and we would like our students to grow in the spirit of life-long service to others. While NDP is closed and we move to a distance learning environment we want to provide ways to complete Christian Service hours at home. Below are a few ways that students could serve their family and neighbors:

Clean out their closet and find things to donate to those in need
Make dinner for the family and clean up afterward
Help a younger sibling with his/her studies
Pull weeds in the yard
Help a neighbor with something yard work, chores, meals
Clean and organize the garage or common closets
Other areas that would be helpful to the family or neighbors
NEW! Students must log hours in x2VOL and you Must upload a photo of your doing the work
An adult must verify the hours

Our faculty is committed to developing graduates who are sensitive to the needs of others and the community. We pray that they accept the challenge to honestly meet the needs of others while at home.

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