Independence High School encourages students to actively engage in volunteer service throughout high school. Students who demonstrate a strong commitment to service, as evidenced by completing 100 or more hours of service by April 1st of their senior year, will earn a service cord to be worn at graduation. Loudoun County Public Schools does not require volunteer service hours for graduation.

In order to qualify for an Indy Impact volunteer service cord, students must submit their volunteer hours using the Volunteer Service Hours Record - Indy Impact within SchooLinks by April 1st of their senior year. The Volunteer Service Hours Record can be found in SchooLinks (access through LCPS Go) under Schools > Experience Tracking.  It can be completed as many times as needed to document multiple volunteer activities and service hours. Students may only count volunteer service hours from the summer before 9th grade through April 1st of senior year.

To ensure accuracy and accountability, students are requested to enter the email address of the adult who supervised the activity. This supervisor will receive an email and will be asked to verify the volunteer hours entered. This verification form is an essential component of the process as it confirms the authenticity of the hours claimed by the student. Any false reporting will automatically disqualify a student from receiving the Indy Impact Volunteer Service Cord. 

Independence High School defines volunteer service as activities in which students volunteer their time to make a positive impact in their community for the betterment of an individual, group, or cause without financial reward or personal gain.  Upon recognizing needs in our community, individuals actively engage and share their time and talents to address real-life issues with an attitude of social responsibility and with the intention of showing kindness and respect to the dignity of others and our shared humanity.

Examples of volunteer service include, but are not limited to the following if done without compensation:

Volunteering at a local food pantry or distributing food to those in need

• Volunteering at a local animal shelter

• Environmental clean-up projects

• Tutoring, coaching, or mentoring younger children

• Volunteering at an assisted living facility for senior citizens

• Assisting with unified activities that support individuals with disabilities

• Becoming a volunteer firefighter or EMT

• Volunteering for individuals in need of medical care (i.e. hospital volunteer programs, blood donations, creating care packages for children in cancer treatment or wounded warriors)

• Serving as a manager for an athletic team

Volunteer service does not include activities such as:

• Attendance at club meetings (even for non-profits or service-oriented groups)

• Donating items or money (while philanthropic, we do not view this as hands-on service)