Varsity letters aren’t just for jocks anymore

Varsity letters aren’t just for athletes: In the Peninsula School District, any high school student who is willing to put in the time and effort can earn a varsity letter helping others.

This year 32 high school students earned varsity letters by putting in over 100 hours of community service throughout the year.

“It does get me excited that these 32 kids did over 5,200 hours. That’s like two and half people doing full time jobs,” said Erin O’Neill, the district’s executive director of college, career, and life readiness. “When you think about the impact, it’s phenomenal.”

Depending on their school, students who qualify get a big fuzzy “P” or a big fuzzy “GH” to sew on their jackets — the same as athletes wear.

One of them was Audrey Krishnadasan, a Peninsula High School student going into her senior year in the fall. The 17-year-old performed 130.5 hours of service this year, ranging from volunteering at Purdy Elementary School to assisting with the charity Food Backpacks 4 Kids.

“You get to help and strengthen your community,” Krishnadasan said. “Community service also has a lot of personal benefits. You create connections which can lead to job interviews, it’s a positive double edge sword. You help others and get benefits.”

Another incoming Peninsula senior, Hope Flanigan, 17, was a camp counselor for Tech Trek, a summer camp for 8th-Grade girls interested in science and technology. She also volunteered with a service club on a mission trip to Mexico, where she helped with medical care and set up bicycle repairs.

“I love meeting new people and building connections in the community. You build the community you want to be in,” said Flanigan.

“I think the most powerful thing about volunteering is the time you give is the most powerful thing you can do,” she said. “You can donate money and items, but when you show up in person and helps others, it shows on a deeper level that you care.”

Typically, the varsity letter through community service program requires 145 hours of service per year. Due to COVID restrictions, the PSD lowered the requirement this year to 100 hours of service.

“My total was 140 to 145 hours,” Flanigan said. “I was at that edge when COVID happened.”

Krishnadasan, who has been volunteering since middle school, said during COVID she volunteered at FISH Food Bank.

“A lot of their volunteers are in the older generation so they couldn’t leave the house,” Krishnadasan said. “I was tested and am healthy, so I thought it was important to wear my mask and help sort the food because they had a lack of volunteers.”

Other students chose to create handmade Easter cards for people in retirement communities or create hundreds of friendship bracelets for children with Leukemia.

O’Neill said the most common volunteer choices are the YMCA, Point Defiance Zoo, painting and cleaning at district schools and animal rescue programs.

In June, the PSD holds a celebration for the students who achieved their varsity letter through community service.

“This year we asked the students to submit a picture, and we had a couple students send a video,” O’Neill said. “We wanted to celebrate students who earned it, and also try and reach out to other students to try to get them to do it.

“The actual varsity letter was mailed out to them,” she added. “I was really proud of the work the communications department did with the video. The whole district gets to see and celebrate the students.”

The current plan is to keep the 145-hour goal for the 20/21 school year, but O’Neill said this can be adjusted depending on the circumstance.

Krishnadasan, who is planning on attending Williams College in Massachusetts after graduation, said she plans to volunteer at something for the rest of her life.

Flanagan said he’s earned a letter every year since she was a freshman. There’s only one catch.

“You have to buy the jacket,” she said. “You get the letter, and then you get little stars every subsequent year you get the letter, but you have to buy the jacket.

To watch the varsity letter through community service video, visit https://vimeo.com/434108940. For students interested in learning more about this program, visit https://www.psd401.net/learning/college-career-life-readiness/varsity-letter-in-community-service.