Overview

As a part of our mission to produce Artists, Scholars, and Global Citizens, all BAA students are expected to complete at least 25 hours of community service each year.

As students near senior year, they may work towards the following honors service learning experiences:

Elma Lewis Graduates of Distinction awardees create an original arts-based community service project, pitch it to an external community panel for real funding, and successfully carry out their project in the community.

The Diedre O’Halloran Community Service Award Recipients complete an additional 100 hours of community service beyond the required hours, preferably focusing on one organization’s work in depth.

Course Offerings
Service learning is embedded throughout the curriculum at BAA from action research projects in Humanities 2, service-based arts projects, or 12th grade Environmental Science action projects.

Senior Grant Project
As one of the first projects created at BAA, the Senior Grant Project is a culminating learning experience that synthesizes and refines the full range of students’ learned communication skills, and helps students develop into the next generation of creative civic leaders. Students develop a project utilizing their arts training to address an issue in their community. They then present a full grant proposal and budget to an external committee of evaluators to vie for grant funding of up to $500. Students who implement their community project, in addition to 75 hours of community service done in the previous grades, graduate as an “Elma Lewis Graduate with Distinction.”

Community Service Hours
All BAA students are expected to complete at least 25 hours of community service each year. Students who complete 200 hours or more by April of senior year graduate with honors and receive the “Deidre O’Halloran Community Service Award.” All documents, resources, and opportunities for service can be found on the Community Service Benchmark website HERE.