NCAIS Service Learning Award
For Students in NCAIS Schools
The NCAIS Service Learning Award recognizes students across North Carolina’s independent schools who demonstrate a sustained commitment to meaningful service within their communities. Rooted in the missions and values of each participating school, the award celebrates students who engage thoughtfully, ethically, and consistently in service activities that deepen their understanding of community responsibility and global citizenship.
The NCAIS Service Learning Award honors not only the number of hours completed but also the quality and intention of a student’s service. The program empowers each school to define its own service-learning parameters aligned with its mission, developmental expectations, and community partnerships, and to verify student participation accordingly.
- To encourage students to cultivate habits of empathy, leadership, and civic engagement.
- To recognize the diverse ways independent school students contribute to their communities.
- To strengthen school-based service learning programs by supporting mission-aligned, developmentally appropriate engagement.
- To celebrate the collective impact of students across the NCAIS network.
- Eligibility: Open to all students in NCAIS member schools, with service hours tracked over the course of a school year or calendar year. Service must be voluntary and not court-ordered.
- Schools Set the Parameters: Each school determines what qualifies as service learning based on its mission, including eligible organizations, service types, and verification expectations. Schools also set the timeline for participation, including start and end dates.
- Students Complete Service Hours: Throughout the year, students engage in service activities on campus and in the broader community, guided by their school's standards.
- Schools Validate Participation: Schools review and confirm student hours and reflections (where applicable).
- School-Based Tracking: Each school maintains its own records, verifies hours, and submits a summary to NCAIS for recognition. NCAIS does not collect individual student data beyond names and tier earned, but may require annual aggregate reports for program evaluation.
- Award Recognition: NCAIS recognizes students who meet their school’s criteria for the award, and NCAIS provides certificates for each level, which schools present at graduation or school ceremonies. Recognition can also be featured in NCAIS communications and on the NCAIS website. Those achieving the Gold Level will also receive a pin to honor their achievement.
Students enrolled in NCAIS member schools who complete the required number of service hours and meet the mission-aligned standards set by their school are eligible for recognition.
This award underscores the shared belief among NCAIS schools that service is a core component of whole-child education. By uplifting students’ commitment to their communities, we strengthen a statewide culture of compassion, responsibility, and engaged citizenship.
| Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Group | |||
| Grade Level | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
| K-4th | 26-49 hours | 50-74 hours | 75+ hours |
| 5th - 8th | 50-74 hours | 75-99 hours | 100+ hours |
| 9th - 12th | 100-174 hours | 175-249 hours | 250+ hours |
Each participating school is responsible for defining what “service learning” means within its own mission, values, and community expectations. Schools determine the parameters for eligible service activities and are responsible for communicating and enforcing those guidelines with their students and families.
The goal is to ensure that service learning is meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with the school’s educational philosophy, while maintaining consistency and fairness in the award process.
The goal is to ensure that service learning is meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with the school’s educational philosophy, while maintaining consistency and fairness in the award process.
If your school does not already have a policy, it should adopt one. As you set your school’s criteria, consider the following guiding questions:
1. Alignment with Mission
- How does your school's mission or portrait of a graduate inform the purpose of service learning?
- What types of service experiences best reflect your school’s values or areas of emphasis (e.g., civic engagement, social responsibility, faith tradition, environmental stewardship)?
2. Eligible Organizations:
What kinds of organizations may students volunteer with?
- Nonprofits only?
- Faith-based organizations?
- School-based initiatives?
- Community or civic organizations?
Are there organizations or categories that should not count toward service hours? For example, the Presidential Service Award did not allow the following service activities:
- Donating funds
- Political lobbying (though non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
- Religious instruction
- Conducting a worship service
- Proselytizing
- Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
- Serving only family members
3. On-Campus vs. Off-Campus Service
- What percentage of a student’s hours may be earned on campus at each division level (Lower School, Middle School, Upper School)?
- Are certain types of on-campus service more aligned with your mission than others?
- Should expectations shift as students mature (e.g., more off-campus service in Upper School)?+
4. Types of Activities That Qualify
- What criteria distinguish meaningful service learning from simple task completion?
- Will you count:
- Direct service (working with people or communities)?
- Indirect service (creating materials, fundraising, organizing drives)?
- Advocacy or educational work?
- Service embedded in coursework or advisory programs?
5. Verification and Accountability
- How will students document or verify their service hours?
- Who at your school will oversee review and approval (division heads, advisors, service coordinators)?
- Will students be asked to reflect on their experience as part of earning credit?
Once your parameters are set, share them clearly with students and their families, and designate a point person for any questions that may arise. NCAIS will rely on each school’s internal process and honor system to ensure that submitted hours meet the standards you establish.
Please notify NCAIS at llambert@ncais.org as soon as you know your school will participate in the program for the upcoming school year, along with an approximate number of participants.
Mid-year, send us an updated number of students in the program so that we can purchase awards with some level of accuracy.
Once your internal deadline for earning hours ends, please email llambert@ncais.org the following information:
Please notify NCAIS at llambert@ncais.org as soon as you know your school will participate in the program for the upcoming school year, along with an approximate number of participants.
Mid-year, send us an updated number of students in the program so that we can purchase awards with some level of accuracy.
Once your internal deadline for earning hours ends, please email llambert@ncais.org the following information:
- Spreadsheet of students eligible for an award
- Date awards need to be received by the school (for example, before Awards Day in the spring). NCAIS needs at least three weeks' notice to process and mail the award certificates and pins.
- Name and address of the school representative to receive the package.
