Silver Cord hours are something you may have heard people talking about, or even mentioning that they are going to this week’s Key Club meeting. But have you ever thought about actually volunteering yourself? The idea of a cord at graduation seems like a great idea, but what about the work that actually goes into it, is it actually as hard as it seems? Is it even worth it? These are some common questions that students have when they first learn about Silver Cord hours, so it’s definitely okay to be wondering them yourself.
To put it simply, the Silver Cord Program is offered to award students who have put in at least 160 hours of community service work throughout high school. Students can start submitting these hours the summer after their 8th-grade year, so there is plenty of time to space out such an intimidating number of hours.
A common way that students at MHS find volunteer opportunities is through Key Club. This club is run by Mrs. Keltner, Mrs. Rauenbuehler, and a great group of very involved student leaders who help you find service hours that best fit you.
These hours can come from a variety of things, some of Keltner’s favorites being, “The ImpactLife blood drives we host at MHS and the Talent Show – but it’s also fun to do some of the smaller events like bell ringing for the Salvation Army and Muscatine Parks & Rec events.”
Meetings for this club are held on Tuesdays during Muskie Time in the Library. The meetings cover a variety of volunteer activities around town that you can easily sign up for. You can also join the Google Classroom (code: otcf4pc) to get the same information.
“I encourage students to join Key Club because it’s the easiest way to make a difference,” Keltner stated.
She feels very passionate about volunteering because of the impact it can have within our community. The act of volunteering is also very highly sought after by colleges.
Mrs. Meineke, the person who is in charge of going through all of the Silver Cord Reporting Forms, agrees with this, saying, “Service hours look good on your resume and could set you aside from other candidates/applicants for future jobs, it’s good networking depending on what you are volunteering for, prepares you for future employment, and connection to your community and giving back to those that are in need.”
In order to make your hard work official for such applications, you must submit the Silver Cord Reporting Form. This Google Form can be found in the MHS morning announcements or in the Key Club Google Classroom. By officially submitting this, it goes towards your 160 hours needed by graduation.
Within this form there are a few simple mistakes that students make that could impact the record of their volunteering, such as, “submitting incorrect hours, putting your date of birth instead of the date the hours were completed, and not using your full name that is on power school,” Meineke states.
Making these mistakes could lead to your hours not being put towards your cord. The hours submitted are checked with the service provider, so don’t try and get away with more hours than you actually volunteered for either.
To check that your hours are submitted correctly, you can go on PowerSchool to check. About every other week the forms are inputted, so if your hours are missing after that time, you can check with student services to get it fixed.
Overall, volunteering can help not only the person you are being of service to but also yourself. The experience you gain is definitely worth it and the cord at graduation is just the cherry on top, so make sure to start making a difference now!
