Students are required to complete a total of 80 hours during their four years at KMC, with a specific number of hours required each semester. Students are permitted to work ahead and log additional hours beyond the number required for each semester.

The “Family” service hour category has been eliminated. Students from the graduating class of 2023, 2024 or 2025 who have completed hours from the “Family” category may apply up to 10 hours from that category to the 80 required hours.

To assure consistent application of the desired formational benefit of the Service Hours Program, KMC requires students to complete approximately one half of their annual service hours requirement in the first semester of each academic year, with the exception of seniors, who must complete 20 out of 35 hours of community service by the end of the first semester of their senior year. The service hour requirement is worth 10% of the grade of the current religion class in which the student is enrolled during each semester. 

If any portion of the required service hours is not completed by the assigned due date in each semester, the student risks the loss of 10% of the earned grade within their religion class for that semester. Students who fail to complete the required hours by the due date of the second semester of the school year will NOT advance to the next grade level until the hours are completed. A summer contract agreement to complete service hours will be issued to the parent and student. The student must complete the required number of hours no later than the first day of school the next academic year in order to attend classes. 

Seniors who fail to complete ALL required hours by the due date of the second semester of his/her senior year will forfeit their free hour until they have satisfied their service hour requirements. The free hour block must be used to complete their service hour requirement. If a senior still fails to complete ALL service hours by the first Friday of May, they will not be allowed to participate in convocation or graduation ceremonies with their class.  All hours must be completed before a student’s transcript will be released.

KMC tracks the accumulation of service hours only on an approved KMC Service Hours Program Confirmation Form, appropriately filled out and signed by the supervisor of the service and the student's religion teacher. Non-approved forms or forms signed by individuals who were not the supervisor for the service performed cannot be accepted.  Each separate service hours activity must be delineated on a separate Confirmation Form.  The KMC administration will input the progress of hours towards the student's requirements into the PowerSchool student management database as soon as possible after the approval of the Confirmation Form.  

Parish
• Parish hours are completed by Catholic students by service to the parish to which one is registered. For non-Catholic students, parish hours are completed by service to the congregation one normally attends. If a non-Catholic student does not normally attend any congregation, or that congregation does not offer service opportunities, the student must speak with the KMC Chaplain about the particular situation.

• Prayer (including time spent in adoration) does not count toward service hours.

• Since everyone is expected to participate in Sunday Mass (or, for non-Catholics, some other form of worship), participation in Mass does not count as service even if one is carrying out a specific function. What does count in these regards is the time spent preparing and working. For example, a lector only spends a few minutes reading during Mass, so this does not count as an hour. However, the lector should spend about 30 minutes preparing by meditating on the readings and practicing them. Those who sing in the choir would count the time spent at rehearsal, practicing on their own, and warm-up before Mass, but not the time spent during Mass itself. Servers may count 30 minutes of time spent preparing for Mass or cleaning up after Mass, but not the time spent during Mass.

• If someone attends a second Mass on a Sunday to perform a liturgical function, then the entire Mass counts.

• Participating in parish classes or activities is not service, but leading classes and helping at parish functions is accepted as parish service hours.

Community
• Community hours must be rendered at a pre-approved non-profit organization, or must be pre-approved by the KMC Chaplain.

• Any community service hours rendered to a private individual (i.e. yard work for an elderly neighbor) will only be accepted on a case-by-case basis, and MUST be pre-approved by the KMC Chaplain.

• Community service will not be counted towards a student's hours requirements if the student receives compensation or other benefits for the services performed.

• For-profit businesses and HOAs are not included in the community service program, regardless if they are owned by a corporation or a private individual. Hours served at for-profit businesses will NOT be accepted.

• To aid in the assurance that community service is being performed for the benefit of the greater community, KMC requires that the agency or group for which a student performs the service and the service that the student performs be approved in advance by the KMC Chaplain.  If a student performs a service for a person or community organization without receiving prior approval from the KMC Chaplain, then the student accepts the risk that such service will not be counted toward the community hours requirements.

• A student who attends a mission trip with his or her parish may be allowed to count the actual hours worked (not preparing, traveling, praying, playing, eating, socializing and other attendant activities) as community service hours; provided, however, the student must notify the KMC Chaplain prior to departing for the mission trip to assure that such hours actually worked will count towards their community service hours requirement.  

• A student should try to venture out to have a broader experience of what the true community needs are.

• Volunteering at summer camps held on the campus of Kapaun Mt. Carmel must have prior approval of the KMC Chaplain in order to be included in the Service Hours Program.  Regardless of approvals, a student may only count up to a total of 15 hours of service at such camps towards the student's community service hours requirement.   

• Service hours performed at Parish other than the student’s own parish will not be counted as Community Service Hours unless they have been approved prior to the activity. 

• In addition to the community service hours requirement, each student is required to serve at The Lord's Diner at least once sometime during his or her senior year.  

• To aid in the efficiency of pre-approvals for community service work, KMC has pre-approved many agencies within the Wichita community at which community service hours may be performed for credit toward the community service hours requirement. The following is a list of such organizations, which may be modified and updated at any time by KMC. Click HERE for a categorized list. 

First Semester Hours
• All students will submit required hours by the first Wednesday following Thanksgiving break to receive credit toward their religion grade. Late hours may be accepted but NOT for class credit.

Second Semester Hours
• Seniors will submit required hours by the first Wednesday following spring break to receive credit toward their religion grade. Seniors who fail to complete ALL required hours by the due date of the second semester of his/her senior year will forfeit their free hour until they have satisfied their service hour requirements. The free hour block must be used to complete their service hour requirement. Students MUST submit late hours by the first Friday in May to be eligible to participate in commencement or graduation activities.  Hours submitted after the first Friday in May are still necessary toward the release of the student’s transcript.

• Juniors, sophomores, and freshmen will submit required hours by the first Wednesday in May to receive credit toward their religion grade. Late hours may be accepted for advancement requirements but NOT for class credit. Students who fail to complete required service hours by the second semester due date will not advance to the next academic grade level. These students will be placed on a summer contract. If parents and the student are willing to sign the summer contract agreement, KMC will hold the student's place and their schedule. The completed service hours must be submitted to the school office and signed by the KMC Chaplain prior to the first day of school in order for the student to attend classes.

All local organizations not on this list must be pre-approved by the KMC Chaplain. For more information or contact information for each organization, click HERE.

The following sites are pre-approved: