Dana Hall is committed to Community Service as part of the complete academic and social education of our students.

The Community Service Program encourages involvement with people both in and beyond the school community. The program fosters concern for the environment through school-wide service projects and through the activities of clubs, classes, and individuals. The Community Service Coordinator, with the help of student leaders, plans individual and group projects and facilitates communication about community service throughout the school. The student Community Service Advisory Board plans and leads outreach projects to local shelters, hospitals, and other organizations. The Advisory Board members organize volunteer efforts and lead their classmates in service projects.

10th Grade Program

Tenth grade students are required to complete a total of 20 hours of community service, at least 10 hours of which must be at an organization that deals directly with people in need. In addition, 10th grade students are required to participate in a class service event at Project Bread's Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 6, 2012. Students may receive credit for hours of service work completed in the summer before sophomore year or during the school year. In September, the 10th grade retreat focuses on a service project for the entire class. During the year, students share and reflect on their service experiences during Forum classes. These weekly sessions are used for investigating the roots of social and economic poverty and brainstorming ways to address these problems in the community, nationally and globally.

Individual Service Placements

Students in all grades are encouraged to volunteer during the academic day, after school, or on weekends for long-term community service in one of many possible settings. The Community Service Coordinator explores interests with students and helps arrange appropriate placements. Opportunities for placements include: hospitals, elementary schools, youth programs, animal shelters, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, environmental organizations, and many more.

School-Wide Events

Dana Hall encourages the entire school community to take part in community service throughout the year. School-wide events often are sponsored by clubs or classes in the form of drives, fundraisers, and special assemblies. At Thanksgiving time, it is a tradition for each advisor group to donate a box of food for a family in need. The event is celebrated in an all-school convocation at which each class makes a presentation of thanks. Twice a year, the entire student body participates in Oxfam Day, eating rice and beans for lunch, and donating the money saved on a typical lunch to Oxfam America for programs that serve and feed the hungry in the Greater Boston area.

A complete listing of service opportunities is available in the Community Service office.