CEDAR CITY, Utah — Before they graduate high school, students across Utah could find a new requirement that isn't a test.
Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson is proposing that students in grades 9-12 do community service as a condition of graduation from high school.
"We want them to be doing a little bit every year and get in that habit of community service," she said in an interview with FOX 13 News.
Appearing at Governor Spencer Cox's One Utah Summit in Cedar City, Lt. Gov. Henderson spoke about the idea. She said there were benefits for Utah's youth to do community service.
"Of course, there’s the benefit to the community. But then there’s the benefit to the individual student as well," she said. "Studies have even shown that students who volunteer more are more likely to be civically engaged as an adult, they’re more likely to vote and they’re actually happier."
It also gets kids off their phones and computer screens and out into the world, interacting with people who may not be like them and doing some good for their communities. How many hours of community service a student has to do still needs to be worked out. Lt. Gov. Henderson said her plan was to try it out as a pilot project with some school districts and charter schools before expanding it across the state. She said she will seek about $3 million in funding for it.
Many clubs and sports teams in Utah schools strongly encourage some component of volunteerism or community service.
"This year, I decided to do something that would benefit the whole community and not just the football team or the school," said Koden Lunt, a Cedar High School senior.
He led his fellow students in a project to light the "C" on the mountain above Cedar City. They hiked up and dug trenches, poured concrete and installed the lighting. He has also regularly participated in other service projects.
"You can’t go wrong with helping other people out," Lunt said, adding his support for Lt. Gov. Henderson's initiative. "I think hopefully people are willing to do some service and go out and help the community."
