Opportunities From: Montgomery County Volunteer Center

Rock Terrace School is looking for 3 students ages 16+ to help with our first-ever Winter Market! Students will be setting up and taking down tables, assisting vendors with set up/clean up up and giving out raffle tickets. Hours are 5:30 PM-9:00 PM on Friday, Dec 5th, at Rock Terrace School - 11400 Marcliff Rd., Rockville, MD 20852. You can also get some holiday shopping done while working!Questions?  Just email Ms. Elizabeth Nardin at Elizabeth_A_Nardin@mcpsmd.org 

Choose Respect PSA Contest 2026 Deadline: February 15, 2026 The 2025-2026 Choose Respect Video Contest is open! Enter Today! This contest challenges MS and HS students to create an original 60-second video in English or Spanish to promote awareness of dating violence/abuse among teens. Participants are encouraged to be creative! Students who submit a quality video entry to the contest will earn 10 SSL Hours. Video entries illustrating child abuse, bullying, cyberbullying, and adult domestic violence will NOT be accepted. Students will be awarded SSL hours in April of 2025 if their submission has met all of the requirements of the contest. Students SHOULD NOT complete Form 560-51 for this opportunity. Who can enter? All 6th - 12th grade students living in Montgomery County can enter.  Students can enter the contest on their own or as a group; however, students may only participate in ONE entry. If a student in any way participates in more than one video, all of those entries will be disqualified. 

Submission Deadline: February 15, 2026

Entry Rules (download rules):   All submissions must have a title.
• All submissions must be in either English or Spanish.
• All submissions must be 50-70 seconds in length.
• All submissions must be uploaded to Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube, or similar program.
• You will then have to provide us with the link via our Online Contest Submission Form (available at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/fjc/chooserespect/video.html)
• All submissions must address at least one of the following as it relates to dating violence:
• Physical abuse, emotional/verbal abuse, types of technological abuse, financial abuse or issues around consent.
• Examples of healthy behaviors in a relationship.
• Bystander intervention (how to step in and help a friend who is being abused).
• All submissions must include the Montgomery County Family Justice Center - 240-773-0444 as the resource where victims of domestic violence and dating abuse can get help.
• Submissions must reflect careful planning, thoughtful insight into the material presented, and accurate and thorough coverage of the content.
• Submissions may NOT include ANY copyrighted music, audio/video clips, characters, logos, or other protected material. Videos may include music only if it is considered “open source” music, or if it is composed and played by a student (or students) in the group.

Evaluation and Prizes: All submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel, with cash prizes going to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and Honorable Mention prizes going to 4th and 5th place. A “Fan Favorite” will also be selected from the Top 5 via public vote during the month of March, and will receive an additional prize. The winning videos will be announced at RespectFest on March 15, 2026. Winning students must participate in the Spring event.

To Enter:  1. Create your video, and make sure it follows all of the rules listed above. 2. Upload your video to Google Drive (ENABLE THE SHARING OPTION), Dropbox, YouTube, or similar program. 3. Fill out this Online PSA Contest Submission Form.  
Check out previous winners for inspiration!

2025

1st Place- "Break the Silence"- Northwood High School 

2nd Place- "Know the Difference"- Montgomery Blair High School 

3rd Place- "Love Shouldn't Hurt"- Albert Einstein High School 

Honorable Mention & Fan Favorite- "Love is like Paper"- Eastern Middle School"

Honorable Mention- " What I Loved Most"- MLK Middle School 

2024

1st Place- "Warning Signs"- Ridgeview Middle School 
2nd Place- "Does your Partner Love You"- North Bethesda Middle School  
3rd Place- "Beyond the Surface:Understanding Dating Violence"-Winston Churchill High School 
Honorable Mention- "PSA with Blur (A Guide to Safe Dating)"- Damascus High School

2023

1st Place:  Broken Pieces - Poolesville High School

2nd Place:  If You Love Your Partner - MLK Jr. Middle School

3rd Place: It’s All Your Fault - Northwest High School

Honorable Mention and Fan Favorite: Lessons Learned - Watkins Mill HS, Springbrook HS, and Blake HS

Honorable Mention: The Signs Were Always There - Churchill High School

2022
1st Place - "Not My Fault" - MLK Jr. Middle School
2nd Place and Fan Favorite - "High School Simulator" - Einstein High School
3rd Place - "Words do Hurt" - Shady Grove Middle School
Honorable Mention - "Dating Shouldn't Hurt" - Julius West Middle School
Honorable Mention - "It's Fine" - Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

2021

1st Place and Fan Favorite - Love Should Never Hurt - Poolesville High School / Takoma Park Middle School
2nd Place - Boys Will Be Boys - Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School
3rd Place - Guys Can Be Victims, Too - Eastern Middle School
Honorable Mention - I Promise - Paint Branch High School
Honorable Mention - False Reflections - Rockville High School
2020
1st Place and Fan Favorite - "I'm the Victim" - Northwood High School 
2nd Place - "He Loves Me" - Roberto Clemente Middle School 
3rd Place - "Our Memories" - Richard Montgomery High School 
Honorable Mention - "Distraction" - Eastern Middle School 
Honorable Mention - "Excuses" - Poolesville High School

 

Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety and privacy at any time the student is interacting with the nonprofit and its clients. The nonprofit organization will determine the number of SSL hours awarded based on the evidence submitted. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns. This service activity is designed to be completed within the safety of the student’s home.

"Speak Up, Save A Life" PSA Contest - 10 SSL hour opportunity Due Date: Sunday, December 7, 2025 Calling all MCPS middle and high school students! MCPS and the Montgomery County State's Attorney’s Office is hosting a public service announcement contest that challenges teens to create an original video to promote awareness of the dangers of opioid abuse or overdose and fentanyl among teens. The contest is open to secondary (middle school and high school) students, who can earn 10 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for participating.  Students can enter the contest on their own or as a group; however, students may only participate in one entry. Top prize has been increased to $5,000, second place is $3,000, third place and fan favorite winners will receive $1,000. Cash prizes are being donated by The Magnolia Companies in honor of two young Montgomery County residents lost to fentanyl—Michael Pisarra and Matthew Loudon, both MCPS graduates.  Submissions are due Sunday, December 7. Students, please DO NOT respond to this opportunity. All students may participate and earn SSL hours by following the directions provided in the links below: Enter here. More information For questions, send an email here.

Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety and privacy at any time the student is interacting with the nonprofit and its clients. The nonprofit organization will determine the number of SSL hours awarded based on the evidence submitted. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns. This service activity is designed to be completed within the safety of the student’s home.

MCPS National History Day
March 7, 2026 (8 a.m. - 2 p.m.) High School Students 18+ we need you! MCPS is looking for HS students 18+, to judge student projects at the National History Day County Competition on Saturday, March 7, 2026! Students will earn 6 SSL hours and will be provided lunch on the day of the event.  
When: Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. (This is a 6 hour SSL opportunity.) Where: Sligo MS (1401 Dennis Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902) Who: For HS student volunteers 18+ Lunch will be provided!  
MCPS Students, please DO NOT respond to this opportunity. All MCPS students 18+ may participate and earn SSL hours by following the directions provided at the following link - https://bit.ly/NHDMCPS2026

  

MCPS High School Assistants Needed for 6th Grade Outdoor Education Program

Many middle schools seek high school volunteers to assist with their Grade 6 Outdoor Education program, and the schools listed on the Google form linked below have asked for assistance in identifying potential assistants to work with them during Outdoor Ed. 

High school assistants who are selected to support a middle school will accompany middle school students and staff to one of the three sites MCPS utilizes for a 3-day, 2-night program and will assist with supervision, instruction, and activities throughout that program. 

There is no cost for high school assistants to participate, meals are provided, and assistants will have dedicated study time each day. High school assistants will need to submit a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian and must also receive permission from their teachers and administrators to participate.

High school assistants can earn up to 16 SSL hours through their work as an Outdoor Education Assistant. 

Please note: By submitting the form below, you are expressing your interest in serving as an Outdoor Education Assistant; it does not indicate that you have been selected to fill that role. Please note that the interest form only lists Outdoor Education sessions for the first few months of the school year and will be updated quarterly.

Your name and contact information will be shared with staff from the middle school(s) you select, and those staff members will contact you to share next steps regarding their selection process.  All decisions on high school assistant selection are made by the staff in each middle school.

If you are interested, please complete and submit this form. 

This form must be completed by MCPS students using their MCPS Gmail accounts.

MCPS students, please DO NOT RESPOND to this opportunity. Instead, please complete and submit this form to express your interest in participating in this opportunity. This form must be completed by MCPS students using their MCPS gmail accounts.