1. The Community Service Seal is set by your district
Ohio high school students show readiness by earning graduation seals. The state lists the Community Service Seal as a locally defined seal, so the details belong to each district:
“Students will meet the requirement of the Community Service Seal by completing a community service project that meets the guidelines set by the school district board of education or school governing authority.”
“To demonstrate readiness, students must earn at least two seals, one of which must be a state-defined seal.”
Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Locally Defined Diploma Seal, read 2026-10-10.
2. Two Cuyahoga County examples
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
“Students earning this seal must earn 40 hours of community service and complete approved, appropriate documentation”
CMSD graduation requirements and seals, read 2026-10-10.
Shaker Heights City Schools
“a student must complete 40 hours of community service with a community organization”
Shaker also says the service cannot be for the student or the student's immediate family, and that “Dates of service and hours need to be verified by a member of the organization on organization letterhead”.
Shaker Heights graduation requirements, read 2026-10-10.
Other districts set other numbers and other paperwork. Ask your counselor for your district's rule and its form before you start, then set that number as a goal in your book.
3. Keep hours that hold up
- Write it down the same day: date, place, what you did, hours, and the supervisor's name.
- Get signatures as you go, not all at once at the end of the year. People move on.
- Check what counts first. Some schools exclude service for your own family or work supervised by a relative.
- Keep your own copy of anything you hand in.
4. Places to start looking
A few long-running volunteer programs in and around Cuyahoga County. Service Cuyahoga is not connected to any of them; check age limits and sign-up rules on their own pages.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park: volunteer National Park Service page
- Greater Cleveland Food Bank: volunteer Food bank's own page
- Cuyahoga DD: volunteer County Board of Developmental Disabilities page
Links checked 2026-10-10.