UHS’s Social Impact program, anchored in the values of Empathy, Collaboration, Purpose, and Advocacy, offers a structured four-year arc. Ninth graders integrate service with core coursework like English and Physics. Tenth graders tackle UN Sustainable Development Goals through cluster-based projects. By junior and senior year, students sustain these projects, complete annual direct service, and may pursue independent studies. This program moves beyond simple hours requirements, fostering long-term civic engagement and real-world impact throughout a student’s high school experience.
9th Grade: Connecting Curriculum to Community
Rather than treating community service as separate from academics, UHS ties 9th grade Social Impact work directly to what students are already studying. Each cohort completes two grade-level service projects, one during the fall retreat and one in the spring semester, both designed to connect with the service-learning components of Ethnic Studies, English, and Physics courses. Starting freshman year this way is meant to immediately connect new students with UHS’s broader mission rather than introducing service as an unrelated extracurricular later on.
Why Start With Curriculum Connections?
Tying the very first Social Impact experiences to core coursework, rather than a standalone service requirement, signals to incoming freshmen that service and academics are meant to reinforce each other throughout their UHS experience, not exist in separate tracks.
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10th Grade: Clusters, Values, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sophomore year shifts the format entirely. Students work in clusters, exploring the values of UHS, their own families, and the Social Impact Program to develop their personal values, while engaging deeply with issues like climate change, environmental justice, and housing and food insecurity. This work is explicitly aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Climate Action. Each cluster then identifies a specific issue, partners with an organization, and begins sustained work meant to drive long-term impact, not a single one-off project.
| Grade | Social Impact Focus |
| 9th Grade | Two curriculum-tied service projects (fall retreat, spring semester) |
| 10th Grade | Cluster-based values exploration; multi-year project design tied to UN SDGs |
| 11th & 12th Grade | Continued cluster project, 2+ annual direct service experiences, 3 independent service days/year |
11th and 12th Grade: Sustained, Independent Impact
By junior and senior year, the program shifts toward empathy and collaboration at a more independent level. Each cluster continues its multi-year project and partners closely with its chosen organization, completing at least two direct service experiences annually.
Students also commit to three independent service days or shifts each year, either with their cluster’s partner organization or elsewhere, and are encouraged to fold in service they’re already doing through groups like NCL or Service Corps. Students who want even more ownership can design an independent study, building their own initiative or deepening an existing partnership, provided it includes at least 30 hours of engagement per year.
A Real Range of Student-Led Projects
Current social impact clubs and initiatives include Garden Buddies (a student-led gardening and mentorship partnership with a local elementary school that grew out of a single Eagle Scout project), Soul Space Art (a 100% student-run afterschool art program at another elementary school), and student chapters of organizations like Artify4Kids, showing how far a single project can grow when students have real ownership over it.
Strategic Admissions Support for UHS Applicants
UHS’s Social Impact program is a genuine four-year arc, from curriculum-connected service as a freshman to a self-designed, 30-hour independent study as a senior, rather than a fixed service-hours requirement.
Since specific themes and partner organizations evolve annually, it is vital to understand how these opportunities align with your student’s unique passions. Cardinal Education provides expert guidance to help families evaluate these programs, ensuring your student’s application highlights their ability to thrive within the UHS community.
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