Sandy Spring Friends School

QUAKERISM
Quakerism is a one-semester course required of students who enter SSFS Upper School after the 9th grade. It is also an elective course open to all Upper School students. This course introduces students to the special history, traditions, practices, and beliefs of Quakers, as a foundation for participation in the life of the SSFS community. We also explore a range of human religious beliefs and traditions in an accepting and exploratory way, and the class assists students in exploring their own religious traditions and beliefs. Quakerism provides students an opportunity to learn more about the religious traditions and beliefs of others, and it helps students understand religion as a historically, culturally, and psychologically significant aspect of human life. This course is not an attempt to convert students to (or from) and particular religious belief or organization, including The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). There are no prerequisites for this class.

COMMUNITY SERVICE/STEWARDSHIP REQUIREMENT
The purpose of the community service program at Sandy Spring Friends School is to respond to the needs of others and to thereby enrich the school community and the lives of its members. Every Upper School student is expected to perform a combination of community service to those outside the school community and stewardship to the Sandy Spring Friends School community.

The graduation requirement is a minimum of 50 hours of community service, 30 hours of stewardship plus completion of a community service intersession involving at least 20 hours of service. This 100 hour requirement is pro-rated for students entering the Upper School after the freshman year. Those entering as a sophomore are required to complete 40 hours of community service and 22.5 hours of stewardship in addition to their community service intersession. Those entering as a junior are required to complete 25 hours of community service and 15 hours of stewardship in addition to their community service intersession. Seniors are not permitted to begin their second semester classes if they have not completed the community service requirement. Stewardship hours may not be used to fulfill the community service requirement. However, any community service that goes beyond 50 hours may be applied to the stewardship requirement.

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