75 Student Service Learning hours are required by seniors to graduate, showing students the importance of helping out in their community and making connections between their community and school.

Montgomery County Public Schools website offers opportunities for students to get SSL hours. “The first thing I tell students is that there is an SSL board in the mixing bowl, there are flyers and postings that community members ask us to post there,” SSL  coordinator Kerrin Torres-Meriwether said.

Youth Summit Director Lola Rogers runs a program called the Youth Summit. Youth Summit is a summer program that gives kids opportunities to get SSL hours by volunteer opportunities such as participating in activities with incoming freshmen and helping out with the Montgomery County homeless.  

SSL hour forms are in the main office and must be turned in by the next report card date. Permission from a guardian is required to participate in the activities. “Be mindful and try to make a goal each semester on how many hours you want to accomplish,” athletic director Reginald Spears said.

In the summer the March to the Mill Camp and volunteering in the main office offer opportunities for students to receive hours. The Social Awareness Club, which is sponsored by Torres-Meriwether, offers opportunities for students to get SSL hours every other Tuesday during lunch.

Becoming a team manager for a sport can help you earn up to 30 hours per season. Talk to the coach if you are interested in being a ball runner, working concessions or working ticket booths to get them at Watkins Mill High School games.

SSL hour opportunities are also announced on the morning announcements and if you talk to a teacher you can learn more about what SSL hours you can receive from them. “I would encourage students to not wait last minute,” Torres-Meriwether said.