Student Life
Social Service

Social Service FAQs

Six Frequently Asked Questions:

List of 6 frequently asked questions.

  • How am I expected to participate in the program?

    You will participate in Service Orientation during your freshman year. After you have completed that program you should select one service opportunity to which you will devote your time and concern on a regular basis for an extended period. Agencies need and look for volunteers who will be faithful workers for several months, a whole year, or even longer. Generally, they provide training and supervision to volunteers willing to make such commitments. We hope that you will find your social service experience rewarding enough to involve yourself in such an ongoing affiliation.

  • What is meant by a social service requirement?

    The purpose of our requirement for graduation is to ensure that you have an introductory social service experience. Sixty (60) hours of service are required, and we encourage the majority of the hours to be completed with one organization. Note: Thirty (30) service hours must be completed in the DMV area. All on-site training time will be credited toward the required hours of service.

  • When may the work be done?

    During the school year, during the summer months, during vacation time, or during free periods of the school day—before beginning Form VI.

  • What sort of work will qualify?

    The student must work directly with those being served. The website list of approved agencies is a preliminary resource and indicates the scope of social service work deemed appropriate. However, projects are not limited to this list. If you wish to propose an alternative project, you must submit to the Social Service Director evidence that your work will be for an organization that complies with the basic goals and criteria of this program. Normally, such an organization will be a governmental agency or a non-profit corporation with a recognized history of demonstrated service and a stable organizational structure. Exceptions to these criteria should be explained in your proposal.

  • Where do I get the forms I need?

    Please fill out the forms posted under Social Service on the Student Resource Board when logged into MySTA. 
  • Are there other criteria of which I should be aware?

    • The service must involve you directly engaging with a partner agency or community. 
    • Volunteer plans should be discussed with and approved by the social service director before work begins. 
    • The work may not be done for pay.
    • You may not work directly under the supervision of a parent or close relative.
    • You will be expected to provide your own transportation to and from service work.
    • You are responsible to both the agency and your school in terms of keeping your commitments.
    • Projects involving at least two students are encouraged.
    • There must be a specific on-the-job supervisor with whom the social service director can communicate and who will be responsible for the evaluation of your work.
    • Volunteer hours or service sites approved by DC/MD/VA school districts or other organizations providing service experiences do not automatically qualify the project for the St. Albans requirement.


Located in Washington D.C.,  St. Albans School is a private, all boys day and boarding school. For more than a century, St. Albans has offered a distinctive educational experience for young men in grades 4 through 12. While our students reach exceptional academic goals and exhibit first-rate athletic and artistic achievements, as an Episcopal school we place equal emphasis upon moral and spiritual education.