Waukee's Silver Cord Program Teaches Students Community Service and Accountability

Waukee High School senior Sydni Rowen is busier these days than most working adults.

Between school, homework, activities, friends and family, Rowen still manages to give back to the community. And she does it through Waukee High School's Silver Cord Program.

The Silver Cord Program teaches students the importance of community service and instills in them a sense of accountability by asking them to devote time and energy to volunteering.

The program starts on May 1 of a student's freshman year and those who earn 150 Silver Cord hours by April 30 of their senior year will have the honor of wearing a Silver Cord over their gown at graduation.

Rowen, who will graduate next May, has far exceeded the required hours to earn her Silver Cord. As of last week, she was hovering somewhere near the 320 hour mark.

"The numbers have accumulated quicker than I than ever thought they would," said Rowen. "There were so many amazing opportunities out there. It's so fulfilling because you’re making your community a better place and once I got started, I couldn't stop."

Silver Cord adviser Sally Housholder said students who stick with the program throughout the high school experience develop more than just a sense of community, it also gives them a strong sense of self-worth.

"It just really makes me really happy to watch as they grow - not just in the number of hours they turn into me but also how good they feel and how their confidence grows as they go through the program," she said. "They're working with several different adults, not just their parents, and they're getting great comments and encouragement. They really start to realize that they’re making a huge difference."

The Silver Cord Program began in 2009, Housholder said, and just this year alone, more than 450 students are taking part. Last year's graduating class logged more than 15,000 community service hours over three years. This year's senior class is already on track to surpass that number.

Housholder said part of the draw of Silver Cord is the variety of service opportunities. Students can get hours for something as simple as volunteering to help a teacher clean up a classroom to something more intensive like mission work.

"Everything counts," she said. "I get lots of different organizations contacting me. We have a volunteer fair in February where students can walk around and learn about different organizations and get tied in with an organization they might want to work with. It's neat to see them exposed to such a wide variety of opportunities."

Joel Berner, a Waukee High School senior, said he enjoys finding different ways he can serve the community. Among one of Berner's most interesting efforts to date has been mission work he's done during the summer.

"I was a little reluctant to give away week or two in summer but with Silver Cord, I found a way to get out and try something new and I absolutely love it," he said. He hopes to continue his service work into college, he added.

Housholder said working with students and the Silver Cord Program is just as rewarding for her as it is for students and those they serve.

"I love working with students. Just knowing the fragileness that high students can experience makes me want to encourage them to make a difference. It makes me feel so good to watch them manage their schedules every week so they make time to do it. It's awesome."

Click here to read how Silver Cord students have done in the first term of the 2012-13 school year.