Graduation Requirements

College Prep for the College Bound

CHCA has two types of requirements so our students graduate fully prepared academically, socially, and spiritually.

Academic
Community Service

Academic

25 Credits are Required:

3.5 Christian Studies (Old and New Covenants + New Testament Survey + Christian Thought and Spirituality + .5 Additional Credit)
4 English (Level of English 9 + English 10 + English 11 + .5 British Literature + .5 English 12 Seminar)
4 Mathematics (Level of Algebra I + Geometry + Algebra II + 1 Additional Credit)
3 Science (Level of Biology + Chemistry + Physics)
3 Social Studies (Level of Modern World History + US History + .5 US Government + .5 Additional Credit)
3 World Language (3 consecutive credits in the same language that go through the 3^rdlevel)

.5 Elective (1.0 if used Economics for Financial Literacy; Excludes PE courses)
.5 Financial Literacy (Economics (which can simultaneously fulfill the Social Studies Additional Credit) or Accounting or Finance or Financial Literacy)
.5 Fine Arts
.5 Health
.5 Physical Education (May be two full seasons of interscholastic sports, including cheerleading, provided the student takes .5 credit in another area, not PE.)
.5 Speech
.5 Technology

1 Intersession (This unique learning opportunity allows 4 different experiencesGr 9-12, each earning .25 credit.)

28 Credits are Recommended:

3.5 Christian Studies
4 English
4 Mathematics
4 Science
4 Social Studies
4 World Language

1 Elective¹

.5 Financial Literacy
.5 Fine Arts
.5 Health

.5 Physical Education²
.5 Speech
.5 Technology

1 Intersession³

¹PE courses may not serve as electives.
²CHCA permits two full seasons of interscholastic sports, including cheerleading, to satisfy the PE requirement, provided the student take .5 credit in another area, not PE.
³Due to the COVID pandemic, some classes may only have .75 Intersession credits.

Community Service

CHCA requires 120 volunteer hours with non-profit agencies; however, students typically graduate with an average of 200+ service hours.

Need help meeting these requirements?
Explore Service at Upper School

Why have a community service requirement?

CHCA is committed to participate as an active member of the Greater Cincinnati area, a richly diverse community. We believe students and society mutually benefit from volunteering.

Through interacting with non-profits within our community and throughout the world, our students learn to think critically about themselves, develop new skills, build relationships, and pursue a deeper understanding and appreciation of our local and global neighbors.

Who do we serve?

At CHCA, we believe our commitment to follow Christ compels us to act on behalf of others, especially the most vulnerable. Therefore, we ask our students to spend a minimum of 60 “direct contact” hours volunteering vulnerable communities.

Vulnerable communities include:

Those experiencing poverty
The elderly
Those experiencing homelessness
Those with specials needs or any mental or physical disabilities
Widows
Orphans
The sick
Veterans
Those experiencing natural disasters, war, etc.

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

- 1 John 3:18

What counts?

Direct Hours: Face-to-face service with members of a vulnerable population completed through a non-profit agency/NGO or event.

Regular Hours: Unpaid work completed through a non-profit agency/NGO or event.

Beginning in 2023–2024, Theater Crew / Theater Orchestra may count 10 hours/semester maximum and must be reported by each student individually.

What does NOT count?

** Updated in 2023-2024 for things that had previously counted.
Please review closely **

Babysitting (unless approved by the Outreach Office)
Training/practice time
Service completed for profit-making businesses/services, individuals who can pay for services rendered, and for family members (including family owned businesses).
Service hours are unpaid. If the person or event is clearly able to pay for the work you are doing, this does not count as service
Volunteering for for-profit business with a community feel (e.g. for-profit theater acting /performing or profit sports camps for kids) does not count towards the school service hours although it may count towards the Presidential Service Award.

In general, if a student chooses an activity for their own extra-curricular interest, any volunteer work needed to make that happen is not considered eligible for service hours. Questions? Contact the Christian Service Outreach Director.

Requirement Details:

Requirement Details:

50% or more of each student’s community service hours must be spent in direct service to people in vulnerable communities. "Direct contact” hours indicates that the student was engaging with people in this community as the bulk of the service time. Preparation for service is essential, but is not included within the 60 “direct contact” hours (50% of the 120 total hours) of the service requirement.

Direct Service	Regular Service
Having dinner with women experiencing homelessness, listening to them, and sharing with them. or Assisting an individual experiencing poverty with navigating a food bank.	Planning the dinner to share with women experiencing homelessness, buying the ingredients, and cooking the meal. or Stocking the shelves of a food bank and working in the warehouse receiving donations to the food bank.

As part of the 120 community service hours, students are to complete two service immersion experiences, one of which must be a CHCA Upper School 9-12 Service Immersion. Students are to complete one service immersion by the end of their sophomore year and a second service immersion by the end of the first semester of their senior year (1 for 2 years enrolled; 2 for 3 & 4 years enrolled). Non-CHCA service immersions must be pre-approved by the Outreach Office.
- Service Immersion hours counted are those in which the student is engaged in direct service/ministry.
- Hours not counted are: training, travel, sleeping, eating, social time and recreation.
Students lacking 30 service hours for each academic year (and at least 1 service immersion by end of sophomore year) are ineligible for extracurricular activities (including practice, performances, meetings and games) until hours are completed and documented in the Upper School Guidance Office.
Hours are to be completed during PRT (Personal Responsibility Time) or outside of normal school hours.
Record service hours in my.Innerview.org. If volunteering is on-going, please submit hours quarterly.

Need help? Contact Jenny.Doan@chca-oh.org in the US Guidance Office.

my.Innerview.orgFind service events, log service hours, or view your service records

New to Innerview.org?
This video can help

Questions? Contact CHCA Upper 9-12 Christian Service Outreach Director, Rebecca.Peltier@chca-oh.org

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