Pinewood has tightened its community service requirements this year to promote more thoughtful community engagement. The changes, created by Dean of Students Jennifer Bates, initially aimed to fix technical issues with the school’s previous tracking system for volunteer hours. Some of the hours would change automatically, while others were deleted.

   “The automated system didn’t work very well,” Bates said. “Sometimes it would accidentally glitch and double hours. We needed to make the process more manual and clear about what counts as valid service.”

   Bates also wants to emphasize the commitment students should make to community service. Bates noticed that students were logging hours from home, which didn’t provide the same opportunities for personal or community growth.

   “I understand people are busy, but that’s not really the point of service,” Bates said. “We want students to go out into the community, interact with people, and make a visible difference.”

   The updated expectations also require students to document their completed work. Photos and short write-ups about students’ experiences are now mandatory for proof of completion.

   “It’s been great reading the reflections and seeing pictures of students smiling,” Bates said. “You can tell when they’ve really learned something about the community they’re helping.”

   When comparing Pinewood’s community service system to other local private schools, the differences are mostly negligible. One exception is Woodside Priory, which requires students to complete only six hours of community service each academic year, while schools like Sacred Heart have the same 20 hour requirement as Pinewood. Sacred Heart also uses the same technology as Pinewood, Mobile Serve.

  Freshman Darsh Dwarak shared his thoughts on how the new requirements affect his perspective on volunteering.

   “The new requirements will for sure change my approach to the service,” Dwarak said. “I will probably have to focus on more quality over quantity and really engage with the work.”

    Ultimately, Pinewood’s goal is to help students build character through their service.

   “Community service is not supposed to be drudgery; it is meant to help the students view their community with a more open mind,” Bates said.