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Walton Volunteer Service
Recognition Program
The Walton Volunteer Service Recognition Program is an optional program. Walton students are not required to participate in volunteer service activities; however, students are strongly encouraged to participate in some form of extra-curricular activity. Colleges like to see how students spend their time outside of the classroom. Participation in athletics, clubs, music, drama, taking care of siblings or helping at home, work, or volunteer service are some of the ways that students can demonstrate community involvement, leadership, and contribution to family, school, or general community.
Walton students interested in performing volunteer service, may use x2Vol (an online tracking system) to:
- Track the amount of service hours they have performed so they can include this information on their college and scholarship applications. [This information is usually self-reported on college applications. Walton does not send this information to colleges.]
- Track service hours for credit toward the Walton volunteer service recognition program (see details below)
Volunteer Service Recognition Program Requirements:
Students meeting the program requirements will receive a service honor cord to wear at graduation. Not all service hours can be counted for credit toward the graduation service cord. Service hours must meet the eligibility requirements listed below:
- 180 hours of approved volunteer service
- Hours must be tracked using x2Vol and submitted in the school year in which they were performed by the annual spring deadline
- Service hours must be verified electronically through x2Vol by an adult (not a parent or student)
- Service hours must meet the guidelines for community service as defined below
Community Service Guidelines:
Service is defined as any work a student performs which benefits a community (school, community, and/or religious organization) for which there is no compensation.
WHAT COUNTS?
WHAT DOES NOT COUNT?
Time spent on service projects which are sponsored by a Walton club, organization, or team that benefit the school or community.
Service for which you receive course credit, such as internships or class assignments, unless you volunteer more hours than required.
Time spent on service projects for any agency, non-profit group, hospital, church (or other religious organization), student organization, civic group, or community organization, etc. (where the community benefits).
Time spent shadowing a professional in which you are just observing (you may only count the time you spend engaged in an activity which helps the professional or organization). Time spent doing activities or working (even if unpaid) at a family business does not count.
Time you spend planning or organizing a service event.
Participation in a school event or activity, such as rehearsing for performances, etc.
Meeting that you attend in order to plan or organize a service event, learn about service opportunities, or learn community leadership skills that are outside the normal monthly meeting of the club or organization.
Meetings that are celebrations (end of year parties, kick off celebrations), unless the celebration is being held as a philanthropic event to benefit others and you are helping to put on the event.
Time that you spend planning for drives and fund-raising activities for charities such as the United Way, American Cancer Society, etc. and time that you spend collecting, sorting, or distributing items to a community organization.
Purchasing or donating items for a drive or collection. You may not exchange items donated for service hours.
Time that you spend actively volunteering at a convention, mission or church service trip. (not including travel time). Students may not claim more than 16 hours in one day.
Time at conventions, mission, or church work trips when you are sleeping, attending social functions, eating, etc. Paid work of any kind or work for which you receive any kind of compensation.
Time that you spend helping an elderly neighbor or babysitting for a young family, if you don’t get paid in ANY WAY (Relatives don’t count!).
Court mandated community service or service mandated for a school disciplinary referral. Time spent watching siblings or helping family.
Active time spent working on service projects. All service projects are subject to a maximum credit of 16 hours per day for any one event.
The time you are responsible for someone’s pet but are sleeping, at school, watching TV, or otherwise not actively engaged in caring for the pet.
Travel time to and from volunteer activities.
Hosting a foreign exchange student.
Service hours completed before the first day of school as a freshman at Walton.
Deadlines for the 2022-2023 School Year:
SERVICE HOURS MUST ALWAYS BE SUBMITTED BY THE SPRING DEADLINE IN THE SCHOOL YEAR IN WHICH THEY WERE PERFORMED.
Seniors: Service hours must be submitted by April 15, 2023. Service hours must be verified by May 15, 2023.
Juniors & Sophomores: Services hours must be submitted by May 15, 2023.
Freshmen: Service hours must be submitted by May 15, 2023. Service hours performed before August 1, 2022, cannot be approved for credit toward the service cord.
Transfer Students
Students who earned service hours at their previous school may submit those hours provided they have written verification and the service hours meet the Walton community service guidelines outlined above. Students must submit those hours during their first school year at Walton (by the school year deadline) in order to be considered for credit toward the graduation service cord.
Students may not submit any service hours earned prior to the start of 9th grade. Email Rebecca.England@cobbk12.org for help with submitting transferred service hours.
Frequently Asked Questions: How do I access my x2vol account?
Log into your Office 365 account using your student log-in information. Once logged in, go to the homepage of the Walton website. Click on the diploma icon on the top right side. This will take you into your Naviance student account. Scroll down to the bottom of the Naviance homepage and click on the purple x2Vol box (left side). Service hours must be submitted through x2Vol and verified electronically.
How do I complete and submit the service hour entries?
Once logged into x2Vol, go to the Dashboard (homepage):
- Click on Opportunities & Projects>My Activity Log>Create New
- Complete each section as indicated and include the name of the organization, club, or activity with a brief explanation of what the organization does (if not clear or well known)
- Include a summary of your volunteer activities
- Use the pull- down calendar and click on the date of service. If you are submitting hours for a project done over an extended period, show the calendar date as the first date you worked on this project. You must include the date range of service activities (put in “Notes”) and the average amount of hours that you volunteered each day or week.
- Indicate the name of your verifier (it must be an adult, not a parent or student) and include his/her email address (you do not need a phone number). Double check to make sure the email address listed is correct.
- Make sure you have completed all sections. Incomplete entries will be recorded as “partially approved” and you will find an explanation of what is needed in the entry. Provide the requested additional information and hit the submit button so that the entry is reactivated for approval review.
What do I do if my hours are not getting verified in x2Vol?
Please make sure that you have entered the correct email address for your verifier.
Verification emails may go to “SPAM” with some email systems. If your verifier is not responding, please send the verifier an email to let him/her know that they should have received an email from “volunteer-verification-noreply@x2vol.com” or “student verification” and it might get directed to their SPAM file. You may also go back to your original entry and resend the verification one more time. Students are responsible for getting their hours verified.
If you cannot get the hours verified after a second verification request, please email Rebecca.England@cobbk12.org for help.
What if I need to change the name/email of the verifier?
Unfortunately, you cannot change the name or email address of the verifier in an entry that has been submitted. DO NOT DELETE this entry. Please email Rebeccal.England@cobbk12.org for instructions on how to correct this.
When do my hours get approved?
Once service hours are verified, they are eligible for review for approval. Service hours are reviewed in batches (starting with seniors, juniors, then sophomores, freshmen) and will be reviewed for approval in the semester in which they are verified. Service hours verified during the summer are reviewed during the fall semester. Due to the high volume of college application activity in the fall and early spring, it may take several weeks for hours to get reviewed for approval.
What if my hours are partially approved with “0” credit hours?
Partial approval generally means that the entry is incomplete, and more information is needed. Students should go back to their original entry, provide the requested information, and click on the submit button again so that the entry is accessible for review.
What if my hours are denied?
Service hours are being reviewed and approved for credit toward the volunteer service recognition program only (graduation service cord). If your hours are denied because they did not meet the criteria listed above (submission deadlines, community service does not meet guidelines, etc.), you still can (and should) self-report the service hours in your college applications (Walton does not send service transcripts to colleges). A note of explanation is always included with the entry when an x2Vol submission is denied.
Additional questions: email Rebecca.England@cobbk12.org
