Serving in the Marianist Tradition

During each grade level at Moeller, students are required to complete a set number of service hours. You may have wondered where this requirement originated, and to answer this question, The Crusader asked Ms. Stiver to elaborate on the tradition of service at Moeller. Ms. Stiver is the Community Service Director and was able to share some great insight on this question.

“We as a school align ourselves with the Marianist tradition, and one of the Marianist Charisms is Mission, which means to give back to the community,” Ms. Stiver said. “We as a school follow this teaching as well as the teachings of the church, which encourages service to the community. As a school, we follow these teachings to teach our students to serve the community and instill Marianist and Christian values into the Men of Moeller.”

The hours of service required differ for all students at Moeller based on grade level. For freshman, sophomores, and juniors, ten hours are needed each year, reaching a total of 30 hours before senior year. The service hours for freshmen through juniors are called “blue hours,” and they include service to Moeller or the Church. Seniors are required to have 35 gold hours, which consist of service to the community. Some examples of blue hours include being a tour guide at Moeller’s open house, assisting with a church fish fry, or being a Eucharistic Minister at Mass. Gold hours include volunteering with Brookdale, Saturday Hoops, or Matthew 25 Ministries. In total, Moeller students must complete 65 hours to graduate.

Senior Colsten Spelman shared what service has meant to him: “It was really great to have had the opportunity to serve my community. It has also been great for me to meet people who I wouldn’t have otherwise met. My favorite service opportunity at Moeller was Magnified Giving.”

For seniors, all service hours required for graduation are due by May 9th. For freshman through juniors, all service hours submitted before April 9th are included for the service hours house competition.

There are ample opportunities to complete service hours through the year. Every month, Moeller sends a group of students to Brookdale, Saturday Hoops, and Matthew 25. In addition to these opportunities, Moeller also serves at the Ronald McDonald House a few times a year. In-school service can be completed by volunteering to host shadow students or by working at the fall open house.

Check your email as well as MoeCampus to find upcoming service opportunities.