Over the course of the 2024–2025 school year, the Soph Serve program organized 20 service outings, with students contributing a total of 259 hours of service. The amount of service accomplished reflects the mission of the program and how it is effective in achieving it.
Each grade level at Prep has its own unique focus on service, with sophomores centering their efforts on the Catholic Social Teaching principle of “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.”
Sophomore year is already a significant step up in terms of academic pressure from freshman year, with major projects such as Model UN and increasingly rigorous classes. Ms. Miller explained, “It can be hard to find time for those service experiences that are such an important part of Prep’s mission. Soph Serves are experiences scheduled to make the service opportunities more accessible.”
Faculty engagement also played a large role in the program’s success. Thirteen different teachers and staff members, representing all academic departments of Prep, chaperoned at least one Soph Serve. The faculty engagement further shows service is not only a student commitment, but a shared value woven throughout the Prep community.
Each Soph Serve takes a group of five to seven students after school to volunteer and fulfill their service requirements. Transportation, reflection, and prayer bookend each event, creating a shared experience that ties service to spirituality.
Typical Soph Serve sites include University District Food Bank, Union Gospel Mission’s Hope Place, and Northwest Harvest, where students assist with tasks like sorting donations, preparing and serving meals, and connecting directly with clients. For many, these experiences provide a new understanding of poverty and resilience in their own city, transforming what begins as a school requirement into something deeply personal.
As the year progresses, Ms. Miller hopes to expand both participation and impact. “Our goal isn’t just to meet the service requirement,” she said, “but to help students see themselves as part of a larger story of justice and compassion.”
Ultimately, Soph Serves offer more than convenience; they offer connection. Through shared experiences, prayer, and hands-on work, sophomores build empathy, awareness, and a real link between classroom learning and real world compassion.
