MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 54, NO. 7
March 29, 2019
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
BY THE NUMBERS: Student Volunteering By Anika Arora, Monisha Saxena, Sahana Sridhar & Sabrina Wu Staff Writers
OVERVIEW
25.4%
WHAT TYPE OF VOLUNTEERING DO YOU PREFER?
Volunteering is a huge part of our community and also a requirement for high school graduation. With students participating in various volunteering activities, the Smoke Signal surveyed 193 students about their interest and involvement in the community. Additionally, the Smoke Signal conducted interviews with major service clubs to discuss their roles on campus. Of the MSJ students surveyed, 26.6 percent were freshman, 25 percent were sophomores, 22.9 percent were juniors, and 25.5 percent were seniors.
of students have attended a volunteering event through a school service club
Environmental
Humanitarian
16.4%
72.5%
43.8%
of students’ volunteering is done mostly at one organization
INTERACT
39.8%
MSJ Interact is part of a far-reaching system of Bay Area Interact chapters and districts. While the club encompasses typical monthly service events such as partnering with local shelters, it also provides opportunities for students to meet new people and find mentors in fellow members to learn from and grow. MSJ Interact Co-President Senior Jessica Wang said, “After four years, it has become more of a goal for me to inspire those under me, especially underclassmen, and allow them to see why it’s so important to do service ... It’s just being able to see other people share the same passions as I do and being able to inspire them to become the next leaders.”
of seniors who completed their service hours said they completed the majority of them in sophomore year Educational
KEY CLUB Although not as well-known in the Bay Area, Key Club is the world’s largest high school service organization. On campus, the club offers monthly service opportunities such as volunteering at creek cleanups, assisted homes, and more. MSJ Key Club President Senior Stephanie Dutra said, “[Volunteering] is about fulfilling yourself, and those experiences have touched me and shaped me a lot more than something else I could be doing in just a couple hours over the weekend. I hope that by attending volunteer events and helping out their communities, students will see the value in that and will continue to volunteer beyond just trying to fulfill a service hour requirement.”
“I hope that by attending volunteer events and helping out their communities, students will see the value in that and will continue to volunteer beyond just trying to fulfill a service hour requirement.” — MSJ Key Club President Senior Stephanie Dutra
RELAY FOR LIFE As a fundraising organization for the American Cancer society, Relay for Life (RFL) plays a large role in community involvement at MSJ. The organization was introduced to MSJ in 2012, but has grown a lot in the past seven years. Event Lead Senior Rhea Guliani said, “I think everyone is touched by cancer one way or another, so just through that passion everyone wants to give back to the cause, and RFL is a really good way do that… It’s a lot easier to make a difference in someone’s life than you think.”
1
3.8%
2
2.2%
Community service has always been integral to the MSJ environment, as can be seen by the hundreds of service forms L2 Adviser Ben Breazeale logs every month. As seriously as MSJ students take their commitment to service learning, Breazeale believes that the 40 hour cap on service hours placed a few years ago was necessary in preserving the quality of the community service experience. “[The staff] began to notice that students were turning in hundreds upon hundreds of service hours … the meaning in volunteering in the first place was getting … lost,” Breazeale said. In the future, he hopes to see MSJ students growing as individuals and maintaining an interest in helping the community.
25.1%
3 4
As seriously as MSJ students take their commitment to service learning, Breazeale believes that the 40 hour cap on service hours placed a few years ago was necessary in preserving the quality of the community service experience.
50.9%
5
18.0%
ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5, HOW HELPFUL ARE SCHOOL SERVICE CLUBS TO HELP FIND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES? (1 BEING NOT HELPFUL AND 5 BEING VERY HELPFUL
LEO LEO Club is a youth branch of Lions Clubs International. MSJ LEO helps connect MSJ students to local service events every month, focusing on finding events from reputable non-profit organizations that are suitable for high school volunteers. MSJ LEO Co-President Senior Ethan Wong said, “We aim to serve in a way that helps both the community and the members of our club grow. We hope our members meet new friends, have a fun time, and learn through personal experiences the value of community service.”
“We aim to serve in a way that helps both the community and the members of our club grow.”
To help the community
36.4%
13.8%
1 2
19.3% 27.6%
3
29.3%
4 5
— MSJ LEO Co-President Senior Ethan Wong
WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY MOTIVATION TO VOLUNTEER? 25.7%
L2 ADVISER BEN BREAZEALE
ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5, HOW MUCH DO YOU ENJOY VOLUNTEERING? (1 BEING NOT AT ALL AND 5 BEING A LOT)
“After four years it has become more of a goal for me to inspire those under me, especially underclassmen, and allow them to see why it’s so important to do service.” — MSJ Interact Co-President Senior Jessica Wang
46.7%
9.9%
To fulfill the service requirement
To hang out with friends
34.5%
35.6%
51.1%
23.9% 36.0%
34.1%
FRESHMEN
To have fun
14.4%
22.7%
SOPHOMORES
6.8%
19.3%
39.2%
8.9%
JUNIORS
7.0%
SENIORS
4.4%
graphics by chittagongit.com, gettyimages.com, iconscout.com, infogram.com, leoclubads.blogspot.com, seeklogo.com, shepherdstownrotary.org, signup.com
MSJ NAMED CA DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL
FRESHMAN IHA BHARADWAJ PUBLISHES THIRD BOOK
MSJ was named a 2019 CA Distinguished School under the CA Distinguished Schools Program. Read about what this award means and its implications for MSJ.
Freshman Iha Bharadwaj published her third book Trisha Nair and the Quest for Amrit last October. Find out more about her latest book and her journey as a young author.
FOR MORE COVERAGE,
VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG