Horizons at GFA offers students the opportunity to help students and receive community service hours in Horizons GFA’s PreK to 8th grade classrooms during our school year Saturday Academy sessions and our six-week summer program. Minimum age to volunteer at Saturday Academy is 9th grade. Summer volunteers must be rising 10th graders.
Volunteers play a valuable role at Horizons by assisting classroom teachers with a variety of activities that vary from day to day, but will include:
- Academic: Classroom Volunteers help students individually or in small groups; prepare materials for classroom activities, monitor specific activities as assigned by classroom teacher.
- Enrichment: Classroom and Enrichment Volunteers monitor students in all enrichment activities (sports, music, science, art, swimming, etc.) and on field trips, actively engaging with students in the activity where appropriate. Volunteers are required to help in the pool during swim lessons.
- General: set a positive example for all students at all times; assist in cafeteria as needed during breakfast and lunch; monitor and engage with students during recess, at sports, during transitions, on bus, during swimming and on field trips.
The characteristics of a successful Horizons GFA volunteer include maturity, restraint, good judgment, and a cheerful, warm personality. In addition, applicants should like and relate well to children as well as possess the desire and skills necessary to work with them: patience, kindness, tolerance, adaptability and the ability to creatively problem-solve.
Students interested in volunteering during summer 2021 are required to apply. The application will be available on this website on February 1, 2021.
Volunteers can choose to be either a classroom volunteer (full day: academics, SEL & enrichment) and enrichment volunteer (afternoon enrichment only). For either category, there is a three week minimum for volunteering over the summer.
Students interested in volunteering at Saturday Academy should email mrutledge@gfacademy.org to sign up. GFA upper school students can also join the Horizons GFA Club by emailing Lucy Nelson, lnelson@gfacademy.org.