HorizonHigh School

Service Hours

OCPS and Horizon accept service hours from the summer prior to entering Grade 9 (starts the last day after Grade 8) through the last day of Grade 12 in high school. OCPS accepts two different kinds of service hours: Community Service and Paid Work.

Community Service is defined as unpaid work performed by a person or group of people to address a social issue in the community. It is often completed near the area where you live so your own community benefits from your work. This requires students to look beyond themselves and address an issue faced by our society (i.e. poverty, abuse, elderly citizen rights, and people with disabilities' rights). Community Service is important because it helps you become more involved with your community and enhances your growth as an individual.

Paid Work are service hours that are documented through a student's place of employment and students must be able to provide a paycheck as documentation. Paid work is accepted from June 27, 2022 onward.

Important Notes:

• Although service hours are not a high school graduation requirement, colleges and universities look favorably on applicants that have demonstrated connectedness within their community. 
•  Some scholarships, such as the Bright Futures Scholarship, require service hours as part of their qualification as notated here.
• Service hours alone do not guarantee a Bright Futures Scholarship. Bright Futures requires students to meet the all requirements as outlined in the Bright Futures Handbook.

Step by Step Instructions 

 (Earning/Documenting my Service Hours):

1. Search for Service opportunities through our Service Opportunities Suggestion List or find some on your own. (If your Community service is not listed in the list above and you are unsure that your community service hours will be accepted, you may email Horizon Student Services at [email protected] to check for approval)

2. Begin your Service Hours for the current school year. Remember you MUST document your hours, whether community service OR paid work hours, using the OCPS Service Log and Reflection Form.

3. Once you have completed your Service Hours, make a copy of your hours or take a picture of them and then submit them to Mrs. McGregor in Student Services. We will only accept service hours in person. They must be delivered in person by the student. 

4.  Once hours are received, they will be posted to Skyward within a week of receipt. The hours in Skyward are the only hours that are submitted to Bright Futures. 

If you have any questions regarding service hours, please reach out to Mrs. McGregor in person or via email at [email protected].