About the Wolverine Guard

Wolverine Guard (WG) is a Bellevue High PTSA sponsored award that recognizes students who perform 100+ hours of community service in the 12-month period from May 1st to April 30th of each school year. Each student who reports 100 or more approved hours will earn the Wolverine Guard Community Service Award. 

View the  list of recent Wolverine Guard Recipients.

The current volunteer year runs from May 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026 — students can begin completing their volunteer hours now and proudly contribute to their community.

Who is eligible?

ALL BHS students from 9-12 grades are eligible for WG should they meet the requirements.

Awards Details:

    • Students who report 100+ of eligible and approved hours will receive the Wolverine Guard Community Service Award for the school year in which the hours are earned.
    • Students who have earned 2+ years of WG will qualify for a WG blue/gold honor cord with blue/gold tassel at graduation.
    • Students earning WG for all 4 years will qualify for a blue/gold honor cord with a gold tassel to wear at graduation, and the Wolverine Guard Distinction Community Service Award, recognizing 400+ total hours. These students will be honored at senior events prior to graduation
    • An End of Year celebration for all WG recipients will be held, typically during the BHS Rumble, where certificates will be available for collection.

What is Community Service:

Community service generally involves giving your time, skills, energy, and/or expertise – without compensation or personal benefit – to help others, especially individuals or groups unrelated to you. This service can be short-term, long-term, or a one-time effort, and in most cases, students will be working under or with a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status.

Volunteering benefits both the community and the students who participate. Through service, students can:

    • Develop new skills and knowledge, and gain valuable experience
    • Meet new and diverse people from different backgrounds, and gain a deeper understanding of different perspectives, and make new friends
    • Discover new interests and explore potential passions to pursue and share
    • Build self-confidence, self-esteem, and personal growth
    • Improve organizational and leadership skills
    • Experience a sense of purpose and personal fulfillment
    • Make a meaningful impact in their community

Community service is not only a way to give back – it’s a way to grow as a person while connecting with the world around you.

Guidelines and Instructions:

  • Parents cannot sign WG hours for their own children, further, parents or family members with students in the organization cannot sign off on WG hours for anyone. Instead, students must get an unrelated adult from the supervising organization to sign their time log form. Additionally, we do not accept hours that are signed off by other students of the same organization.
  • Students who hold positions in non-profit organizations cannot have another student’s parent sign the time log forms. Time log forms can only be signed by authorized representatives of the organization benefiting from your volunteer service. This cannot be your own non-profit organization.
  • For a volunteer project that is over consecutive days, a maximum of 10 hours PER day may be counted. Examples include mission trips, counseling at a sleepaway camp or international service projects.
  • Hours spent on travel are not counted; for example, travel days to and from mission trips or international service projects.
  • WG credit is not given for any activity where a student is paid or receives school credit. Examples include babysitting, giving music lessons, working as an Office TA or in the Career Center at BHS, ASB related activities, required/graded performances.
  • No WG credit is given for any religious ceremony or rite of passage.
  • WG credit can be given for musical or theatrical performances that are community service oriented, such as performances that are for charitable fundraising or for school events such baccalaureate. Participation in school performances that fulfill class requirements (such as for band or orchestra or choir) do not count for WG. Also, as a general rule, school and community plays and concerts, while of great benefit and enjoyment to the community, do not count for WG.
  • No WG credit is given for career-oriented internships that are for personal gain as opposed to serving the community
  • In support of promoting civic engagement, WG credit can be given for involvement in voter registration or get-out-the-vote events or activities, but not for volunteering for specific candidates or campaigns.
  • A MAXIMUM of 25 hours of volunteer service completed WITHIN Bellevue High School organizations will be accepted for WG. This includes, but is not limited to, National Honor Society, Link Crew, Key Club, in-school tutoring, helping in the athletic department, etc.
  • A MAXIMUM of 65 hours of volunteer service completed as a BSD school camp volunteer will be accepted for WG. This includes Camp Orkila.
  • 9th Grade students can include eligible community service hours from 1 May of the same year they commence at Bellevue High School (in September).
  • Usually, volunteering is done through a non-profit organization (which has a 501C3 tax status). Sometimes a student will volunteer through a corporation or other enterprise on behalf of a non-profit group. An example of what would be acceptable is when a student volunteers for a company or corporation doing a clean-up day for a park, school, or temple. Hours will NOT count toward WG UNLESS those hours can be explicitly shown to be for activities where the for-profit organization DOES NOT profit. 
  • Wolverine Guard will continue to evaluate its mission and make changes to organizations that are acceptable on a yearly basis. Organizations or activities that were previously approved do not mean it will be automatically accepted during the current year. If applicants are unsure as to whether certain organizations or volunteer activities will qualify for WG, they should contact the WG co-chairs at wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com for clarification. It is best to clarify an organization’s eligibility or whether the activity you are undertaking qualifies for WG PRIOR to undertaking volunteer service hours that you want to be counted towards your WG application.
  • It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their application is sent to the correct email address. If you do not receive a response within five business days (excluding BSD-designated holidays), please follow up with the Wolverine Guard.
  • An applicant is not considered to have received the Award until notified in writing by the committee, so it is essential to follow up if you have not received confirmation or instructions for required amendments.
  • All WG applications must include a time log:
    • Hours must be clearly broken down
    • Each entry must include a handwritten signaturefrom a volunteer supervisor (e-signatures using apps such as Docusign are not accepted)
    • If you can’t obtain a physical signature, you may email the log to the supervisor, have them print, sign, photograph, and return it to you
  • Only submit an application once all hours are completed and signed

Additional Notes:

    • 9th-grade students may count hours from May 1st of the year they begin at Bellevue High School (i.e. while they are still in MS).
    • If volunteering through a corporation, the hours only count if it’s clearly for a non-profit and the company receives no profit from the event (e.g. a corporate park cleanup).
    • Wolverine Guard reviews eligibility criteria each year. Past approval does not guarantee current approval.
    • Wolverine Guard awards are only given on the year they are earned and cannot be given retroactively for previous years.
    • We request that students submit the applications and time log forms themselves using their district-provided email (High School students are now able to communicate with others outside the district) and direct any questions to us, as we aim to teach them to advocate for themselves after high school.
    • Students need to ensure they submit all the required forms (application and all completed supporting time logs). They also need to ensure they submit their application to the correct email address. If they do not receive a confirmation within 5 business days or submission it is up to the student to follow up to check the application has been received. This is treated like a job/college application process, so it is up to the students to ensure they have all the correct information as well as meet all the deadlines. Students are also reminded to check their email accounts for requests for additional information. Not checking an email or letting a deadline lapse is not an excuse for missing the requirements of the WG.

If you’re unsure whether an organization or activity qualifies, contact the WG co-chairs at wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com before starting your hours.

The Wolverine Guard Award is separate from the Bellevue School District (BSD) graduation volunteer hours requirement. However, hours that are earned to meet graduation requirements can count toward WG as long as it meets WG requirements.

    • WG hours MUST be recorded on the WG Time Log Forms and submitted via email to the wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com
    • BSD hours are logged by students via x2Vol accessible in the Clever app. The BHS Counseling Office is responsible for verifying these hours and any questions should be submitted to them, not WG.
    • The BHS Counseling Office does not send hours from x2Vol to WG, nor will WG accept copies of x2Vol in a student’s application – it is the student’s responsibility to submit WG hours properly using the WG forms.

Download Forms

To download the file, first click the link below and then click File > Download on your browser.  

How to Complete Your Wolverine Guard Time Log Form/s: Please take a moment to read this brief document before submitting any questions or applications.  Click on here for guidance.

Download the WG Time Log Form

Download the WG Application Form

 

HOW TO SUBMIT A WOLVERINE GUARD APPLICATION

  1. The “Wolverine Guard Application” form and the “Wolverine Guard Time Log” form can be found above under “Download Forms.”
  2. Applications will be accepted electronically. Completed applications, including the WG Application form and all WG Time Log forms, should be emailed to wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com.
  3. A confirmation email will be sent to each applicant within 5 business days to confirm that their application has been received. If an applicant does not receive a confirmation email within that time frame, they should email wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com to follow up.
  4. All forms MUST be turned in by midnight on April 30th, 2026.
  5. No late applications will be accepted. Students should plan to submit early in order to avoid last-minute complications (sickness, family emergency, etc.).
  6. If any applicants are unable to submit their application online, they may contact wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com prior to April 30th to make alternate arrangements.

Please ensure it is the student who communicates directly with us and be the sender of Wolverine Guard application. Since Wolverine Guard is to recognize the efforts of students, we ask that students advocate for themselves, preparing for life beyond HS.

We are here to help you!!  Please contact the WG co-chairs at wolverineguard@bellevuehighptsa.com with your questions.

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