Service Learning

Service Hours are a graduation requirement for all Lake Orion High School students earning a diploma.

• In Order to Walk at Graduation: All Service Hours, along with a completed reflection for each event, must be submitted in a student’s x2VOL account no later than the Friday after Spring Break of senior year, which is April 10, 2026 for the 2025-26 school year. For 3rd quarter graduates, hours are due the Friday after Winter Break, which is February 20, 2026.  For 2nd quarter graduates, hours are due before Holiday Break, December 12, 2025.
• In Order to Receive a Diploma, but not walk at Graduation: All Service Hours, along with a completed reflection for each event, must be submitted in a student’s x2VOL account by the last school day of May of senior year.

Requirements for Graduation
Students MUST choose one of the following two options:

Option 1. Requirement:

• Complete 20 service hours at approved locations or activities throughout 4 years as a student at Lake Orion High School. Hours must be completed at a non-profit, 501C-3, or tax exempt organization. Organizations will be required to provide a copy of their tax exempt status to Lake Orion High School.
• Submit activity and contact information, with a valid reflection for each volunteer experience in the x2VOL account within 30 days of completing the event.
• All hours must be verified by an adult supervisor or coordinator of the activity or event.
• Hours will be applied to your account balance once participation is verified
• A valid reflection must be written and approved.  Reflections MUST include proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. Reflections are normally 4-5 complete sentences, including how you had the ability to impact the lives of others, as well as how your life may have been impacted. You may also include why you chose the opportunity, any skills that you used and/or gained through this experience or any additional information that you feel helps to explain your experience or the outcome of your time and effort..

**Prorating of Service Hours: Students transferring to Lake Orion High School will have a prorated Service Learning requirement. Students must complete 5 hours for each year (or partial year) that they attend Lake Orion High School.

Option 2. Alternative Essay:

In lieu of completing 20 service hours, a student may elect to complete an alternative essay. If a student elects this option, a Service Learning Essay request MUST be submitted in writing, to ServiceLearning@lok12.org before November 1 of your Senior year.  You must also meet with the Service Learning Facilitator to discuss your essay topic.  The portal for submitting the essay will open on the Friday before Winter Break. 

 

PLEASE NOTE, YOU ARE REGISTERED WITH YOUR LOCS SCHOOL ID AND LOHS EMAIL ADDRESS

Incoming Freshmen may register and begin accumulating hours the day AFTER the last day of 8th grade. A letter with registration instructions will be emailed to LOCS students the last day of 8th grade. 

TO CREATE YOUR X2VOL ACCOUNT-

PLEASE NOTE, YOU MUST LOG IN WITH YOUR LOCS SCHOOL ID AND LO EMAIL ADDRESS

How To – Student Login

 1.       Go to www.x2VOL.com and click JOIN.

 2.       Click “Complete Registration” button.

3.       Type in zip code (48360) and select Search, click LAKE ORION HIGH SCHOOL..

4.       Type in your Last Name and Student ID.

5.       Enter the remaining profile fields and click proceed. Please use your name as listed in Powerschool. 

6.       Set a password, select your group and check the TWO “I understand” required boxes to complete your registration.

7.       Log in and view your Dashboard.

8.       If done correctly, a box will pop up saying activation successful.

 

 

Activity: Name of the non profit organization or location that you volunteered

Description: The event that you participated in and share/describe what you did 
**If you participated at the same organization for multiple times, you may list all dates and times in this section as well. BUT, make sure to submit the opportunity every 30 days

Contact: Name AND email address of the supervisor who will verify your time and participation.
**Make sure you have a valid email address, that you enter the email address correctly and that your contact knows they will be receiving an email from VOLUNTEER VERIFICATION/ x2VOL, not LOHS. Logging correct information is the ONLY way you will receive credit for your hours! x2VOL NEVER calls a contact.  You MUST enter a valid email address for hours to be verified!

Notes:
* If any of the above is incorrect or incomplete, your submission may be denied.
* If your submission is denied, please long into your x2VOL account, click the Activity Log and then the "Edit Entry" button on the denied claim.  Scroll down to the Comments area for why it was denied and how to resubmit, if possible.  
* If a denial is received, most of the time a correction needs to be made and the submission can be resubmitted.
* Not getting paid for your time/work does not automatically mean the event qualifies for Service Hours. Make sure you are submitting hours for non-profit organizations and/or non-profit events.

 

 

• Student volunteer hours MUST benefit the community - not a business or other for-profit organization.

• Service hours must be spent in active acts of service.

• Volunteering for family members, friends, neighbors, etc. does not count towards the service hour requirement. 

• All hours must be completed through non-profit organizations or events that benefit the community.

• Babysitting and animal care does not count as service hours.

• Service hours should focus on making a positive impact on others.

• Hours must be submitted through x2VOL within 30 days of when the event/activity takes place.  Any ongoing event, MUST be submitted every 30 days. 

• Hours completed during the summer must be submitted by September 30th of the fall school year.

• Students may begin accumulating service hours as soon as the first day after they have completed 8^th grade.   

• If hours take place over multiple days, please list the days and times in the description area of the submission.

• Make sure to read the requirements for the reflection of your submission and complete it thoroughly for each entry.

• Once a student submits an entry, an email will be automatically generated and sent to the contact for verification.  It is the student's responsibility to follow up for verification.

• Hours that have been done for another organization's requirement (court mandated hours, NHS, Leadership, Boy Scouts Eagle Badge, etc.) cannot count towards your graduation requirement – No Double Dipping!

• ALL Fundraising events for your group, team or organization do not count for Service Hours.

• ALL Dine to Donate events do NOT count for service hours.

• The donation of baked goods or other food items DOES NOT count for service hours.

• Not getting paid does not automatically mean Service Hours. You cannot volunteer for a company that is a profitable organization and refuse to be paid.

• Students cannot verify the participation of other students.

• Preapproved service project cards are permitted to be made with a ratio of 8 homemade cards for one hour of service per project. A maximum of one hour may be claimed per service project and a maximum of 5 hours may be claimed in card making over the four years at LOHS. 5 hours maximum per organization may be claimed for card making.

• Parents cannot verify their student's participation in a service activity.

• Students may NOT submit service hours that are obtained at school during a normal school day or as part of a school sponsored activity.

• Participating in a parade as a member of a group or team does NOT count for service hours, however, volunteering with the parade organization does.

• Club planning, activities and events you belong to at LOHS (or outside) does NOT count for service.  That is part of being a member of an organization, not community service.

• Practices, games or sporting events for activities, groups or teams you belong to at LOHS (or outside) does NOT count for service.  That is part of being a member, not community service.

• Performances, practices and other operational activities for clubs, classes or groups you belong to DO NOT count for Service Hours.

• Don’t limit yourself to just 1 or 2 events or activities. A variety of service experiences allow you to give back to your community, grow as an individual and have a positive influence on others.

• If a denial of hours is received, please read the comments/notes on the entry to know why and what (if anything) can be corrected for approval.

If your submission of hours is denied:

• Log in to your x2VOL account and select the Opportunities and Projects link and under that, the Activity Log (this is where you will see all of your entries)
• Click Edit Entry of the submission that was denied. (denied show a "0" in the "approved hours" section)
• Scroll down to the Comments section which notes the reason your submission was denied. Most of the time, only editing is needed.
• If editing is needed, make the changes, click save, scroll down to the end of the form, click the button that says this submission is true and click Submit again.
• Send an email to ServiceLearning@lok12.org that you changed your reflection so it can be reviewed. If you do not do this, your submission will not be approved.

Most common reasons for a submission being denied:

• The reflection, or lack of a reflection (editing needs to take place and the entry can be resubmitted)
• Hours were verified by another student or a parent (can be resubmitted with an adult contact at the location you served)
• Hours were submitted after the 30 day deadline (cannot be resubmitted)
• Hours were done for a business/profitable organization (cannot be resubmitted)
• Hours were done as part of a fundraiser that you receive monetary benefit from (cannot be resubmitted)
• Hours were done for a family member, friend, neighbor, etc. - something done for those listed above should be done out of compassion, not for service hours (cannot be resubmitted)

Questions about submissions and/or denials can be sent to servicelearning@lok12.org

Opportunities can be found in the x2VOL online portal.   Once you have logged into your account, click the GREEN "FIND OPPORTUNITIES" button to see all upcoming events and activities.

Events that occur during a certain month are both capitalized and bolded by month. 

VERIFIED hours - your contact person has verified your participation.

APPROVED hours - your hours have been approved and accepted by the school.

DENIED hours - something is wrong with the submission. Please refer to comment section of your entry for an explanation.

 

Earning Elective Credit - Optional 
In addition to the graduation requirement of 20 hours of service, a student may choose to continue to complete additional hours to earn elective high school credit.

A student may choose to earn ½ elective high school credit by completing 90 hours of service within a calendar year.  After ½ elective credit is earned, students may choose to complete this cycle one additional time to allow for a total of 1 elective high school credit. In addition, to be awarded credit, the student must fulfill the following requirements:

To Earn 1/2 Elective Credit

• The request to receive credit must be discussed with and approved by the Service Learning Coordinator and your counselor prior to starting the additional hours.
• 90 service hours (All 90 hours must be completed within one calendar year from the date the first service hour is completed).
• Submit the required activity information and reflection(s) to your x2VOL account for all 90 hours (this can be done as the hours are completed).
• When all hours are complete, submit a one page written reflection about the Service Learning experience to be reviewed by the LOHS Service Learning Board. Students may be requested to meet with the members of the Service Learning Board if additional information is needed.
• After all of the above is completed and approved, the counseling office will be notified to award ½ credit for Service Learning to the transcript.

To Earn additional 1/2 Elective Credit (for a total of 1 Elective Credit)

• Once the initial 1/2 elective credit has been earned, students may apply to earn one additional ½ elective credit.  The process for the additional ½ credit will be the same process as the first ½ credit, with additional hours and an additional written reflection.

Students may earn a maximum of 1 elective credit with service hours throughout their Lake Orion High School career.

Elective credit hours do not count towards a Service Learning Medal.

Alternative Assignment: Instructions for students electing this option

Requirements for completing / fulfilling any remaining service-learning hours with an essay / research paper: It is suggested that students wait until beginning their Senior year before electing this option. However, the alternative assignment has always existed and will continue to be an option for our students to complete their graduation requirement. 

Students may write a research paper (rather than completing remaining service hours). For seniors, these essays are due on Friday, April 10, 2026. For 3rd quarter graduates, hours are due the Friday after Winter Break, which is February 20, 2026 and for 2nd quarter graduates, hours are due before Holiday Break, December 12, 2025. Turn It In is active in 2026.  All essay submissions will be submitted via Turnitin (plagiarism detection software). Any incidents with plagiarism /artificial intelligence (AI)/ academic misconduct will be subjected to the standards outlined in the LOHS Student Code of Conduct.

 

LOHS Service Learning Alternative Assignment
Number of Service Hours Remaining	Required Pages of Content
15 – 20.0	4 - 5 pages
10 – 14.9	3 - 4 pages
5.0 – 9.9	2 - 3 pages
0.1 – 4.9*	1 - 2 pages

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research Paper Instructions

1.      Students must select a topic(s) identified in this document.

2.      Research paper will follow MLA guidelines.

3.      Formatting will include standard 1” margins, double-spaced, 12-point Calibri or Times New Roman font.

4.      To submit your paper: Log into your Turnitin account by going to your ONLINE Office 365.  
         (Directions to access TurnItIn)

5.      Click on the “Enroll in a Class” tab.

·        Class/section ID:  50684480

·        Enrollment key:  SLESSAY

6.      In the  class / assignment, enter your name, and upload your essay. For the submission title, use your last name followed by “SL Essay” (Example: EVERITT_SLEssay)

7.      Once the essay is submitted, you MUST send an email to ServiceLearning@lok12.org with your name in the Subject Line and well as SL Essay.  In the email, note that your essay was submitted and the date.

Guidance on writing your essay:

In general, students are instructed to write a research paper / essay relating to volunteerism, community engagement, philanthropy, etc.

Questions regarding the alternative assignment can be emailed to servicelearning@lok12.org

Students should spend some time organizing a topic and developing their essays. It is permissible for students to approach the research paper with a broad sense (incorporating a variety of the prompts identified below).

Below are some topics and / or guiding questions that might be helpful in organizing your research papers:

·        What are some benefits of volunteering in the local community?

·        Why is it important for schools (or colleges) to partner with the local community?

·        Give an example of an event (i.e. natural disaster) that relied upon or required community action.

Focus on an organization or non-profit entity that is involved with helping others in the community:

·        What is the history of this organization (How did it start? How did it grow?)

·        Describe their mission / purpose.

·        What sort of impact does the organization have on the community?

·        What sort of volunteer opportunities exist for people who are interested? How would one go about volunteering for this organization?

·        How has the organization been successful? What are some challenges?

For students who have completed some service learning – Write a more detailed reflection / essay:

·        What did you do?

·        What sort of impact did the work have? How was it beneficial?

·        Why was the work important?

·        What community service activity have you participated in that has meant the most to you? (Or had the greatest impact).

·        What is your favorite memory from performing community service?

·        Why did you choose this particular organization?

·        What made you decide to volunteer where you did?

·        How has your community service changed you?

·        How has your community service helped others?

·        How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

For students who are interested in a specific college or university (or have already been accepted):

·        What community service opportunities are available for students?

·        What are some student organizations on campus that are invested in the community?

·        As an incoming student, how might your involvement in volunteer opportunities benefit the community and how might volunteerism benefit you as an individual?

·        Describe some examples of ways that (insert name) partners with the local community.

·        How does the university support the community? How does the community support the school? 

THERAPEUTIC REC BINGO/PIZZA & MOVIE- CLARKSTON- FRIDAY NIGHTS Twice a month is a FUN Friday night event in Clarkston with special needs friends.  Help is needed with set up, tear down, check in, interacting with guests playing Bingo, handing out food, watching a movie.  Many LOHS students who have volunteered in the past say it is the best night out and leave having had a great night with lots of fun! Activities take place at Bartsch Hall in Clintonwood Park, 6000 Clarkston Rd, Clarkston. See the sign up genius in x2VOL for all available times and dates!

HALF DAY HELP @ LOCAL ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOLS-1/20 Send an email to a former elementary or middle school teacher and ask to help organize their room, clean, make copies, assist in the class or anything else to give back to them for all the ways in which they gave to you! On LOHS half day, Thursday, January 15, AFTER studying for exams, plan to volunteer in their class! After completing the hours, submit them (within the 30 day window) and list the teacher's email address as the contact for verification. Teacher email address is Firstname.lastname@lok12.org.

STADIUM DRIVE ELEMENTARY-PTO CHILDCARE-1/21 Stadium Drive Elementary PTO is looking for child care volunteers for their upcoming PTO meeting on Wednesday, January 21, from 6:15-7:30.  2-3 volunteers are needed to guide, encourage and support the students. 

PHASES SOCIAL NIGHT-  6 Volunteers are needed to socialize, play games, dance and interact with the special needs students at PHASES at CERC on Friday, January 23, 4:30-7:30pm-  Many LOHS students say it is one of the most fun volunteer events! Arrive at 4:30pm to help set up and plan to stay until 7:30 to take down.  Contact in x2VOL.

DRAGON DUDES NIGHT OUT@ BLANCHE SIMS ELE- 1/30 10 Volunteers are needed at Blanche Sims Elementary, 465 E Jackson St., on Friday, January 30, 6-8pm for Dudes Night Out. You will be responsible for passing out pizza and cookies, helping in the photo room and building legos.  Contact in x2VOL.

LOCS ELEMENTARY P2(POSITIVITY PROJECT) PALOOZA- 2/26 A districtwide event for elementary students and their families to celebrate the Positivity Project will take place on Thursday February 26th at LOHS from 5- 7:30pm. 60 student volunteers are needed to run activities/stations. Please see the sign up genius in x2VOL for all available volunteer opportunities and sign up for an activity that interests you. 

Students who achieve over 100 hours of graduation service hours earn the Service Learning Medal and are recognized during the Department Awards.  All hours for consideration of the Service Medal hours are due by May 1 of a student's senior year.  Hours for consideration are above and beyond the required 20 service hours and required club or academic honor society hours do not qualify.