Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Having "U's" can keep me from doing what?

Students with "U's" can't graduate.  They can't play on school sports teams.  They can't register for classes at Bridgerland.  They can't sign-up for internships.  They can't sign-up to T.A.'s or Office Aides.  Of course, once they make-up their "U's," students can do all of these things again.

How can I make-up my "U's"?

In order to make-up their "U's" students must first meet with Mr. Gerlach (BEHS Citizenship Remediation Coordinator) and set-up a plan.  Students must either work-off their "U's" or pay them off.  The longer that a student waits the more time or money it will take to make-up the "U."

• If a student makes-up the "U" the trimester after earning it, it will take 6 hours of pre-approved community service or $30 to clear the "U."
• One trimester later, it will take 8 hours of pre-approved community service or $40 to clear the "U."
• Any time after that, it will take 10 hours of pre-approved community service or $50 to clear the "U."

How can I reach Mr. Gerlach?

• The best way to reach Mr. Gerlach is via e-mail at Peter.Gerlach@besd.net.  In order to get the message past the spam filter you will need to put the words "box elder" in the subject line and body of the message.
• You can call Mr. Gerlach at BEHS [(435) 734-4840] and leave a message with the secretaries.  Mr. Gerlach will call you back as soon as he can.  If your phone number is long distance, Mr. Gerlach may not be able to return your call since the classroom phones at BEHS are not able to make long distance calls.
• Mr. Gerlach is normally available to meet with parents and students for about an hour after school.  Starting in August of 2009, his classroom will be Room W-10.

Do I have to meet with Mr. Gerlach before I can start working-off my "U's"?

YES!  Your community service project for making-up your "U's" needs to be pre-approved by Mr. Gerlach.  If you just go do something and then ask for approval, your hours might not count.  Talk to Mr. Gerlach to get approval and get the paperwork.  THEN, work-off the hours.

Can I count hours that I worked-off before I got the "U"?

NO!  You need to work-off the hours after you get the "U."

What counts as community service?

Community service is service that benefits the community and that is rendered to a government or non-profit entity.  You cannot count hours that you volunteer at a business, farm, or other for-profit entity.

Can I count volunteer work that I do for the nice, old lady who lives down the street?

Only if that service is done through a non-profit organization.  The form must be signed by a leader of that organization.  Ther service must be pre-approved by Mr. Gerlach.

Can my parent sign-off my community service hours?

NO!!

Who can sign-off my community service hours?

• Any employee of Box Elder High School -- This includes administrators, teachers, counselors, secretaries, custodians, cafeteria workers, aides, school resource officer, etc.  All service must be pre-approved by Mr. Gerlach. 
• Any building-level administrator or head secretary of any other school in Box Elder School District.  Other staff members may initial the forms, but the final signature on the form needs to be an administrator or head secretary.
• The director or volunteer coordinator of a non-profit service or community agency.
• The leader of your church congregation -- if Mr. Gerlach has a note from that leader on file on church stationery that verifies that that person is, in fact, the leader of your congregation.  In order to keep it possible for us to maintain accurate records, it cannot by a leader of your church youth group.

What are some of the non-profit service or community agencies with which BEHS students have volunteered in the past in order to clear their "U's"?

• Acts Six Soup Kitchen
• AYSO
• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
• Box Elder Community Pantry
• Box Elder School District Schools
• Boys and Girls Club
• Brigham City
• Brigham City Animal Shelter
• Brigham City Area Chamber of Commerce
• Brigham City Community Hospital
• Brigham City Depot
• Brigham City Eagle Mountain Golf Course
• Brigham City Nursing and Rehab
• Brigham City Senior Center
• Corinne City
• Family Support Center
• Fine Arts Center
• Habitat for Humanity of Northern Utah
• Head Start / Centro de la Familia de Utah
• Heritage Theater
• Honeyville City
• Mantua City
• Perry City
• Perry City First Responders
• Pioneer Care Center
• Willard Bay State Park
• Willard City
• Youth Volunteer Council

What if I want to volunteer with a non-profit service organization that is not on your list?

That is fine as long as you get is pre-approved by Mr. Gerlach.  You may need to provide Mr. Gerlach with additional documentation in order to make it possible for the school to have a paperwork trail.  This may include a note from the organization's leader or volunteer coordinator on the organizations stationery as well as a phone number and e-mail address that Mr. Gerlach could use to contact that person.

I heard that students can make-up "U's" through a study hall as BEHS.  How does that work?

Mr. Gerlach normally stays after school for an hour after school each day.  Students can attend a Citizenship Remediation Study Hall in Mr. Gerlach's classroom (Room W-10) during that time.  Mr. Gerlach will only sign for increments of 1/2 hour or 1 hour.  It a student does not arrive at the study hall withing 10 minutes of the end of school, the most credit that can be earned that day will be 1/2 hour.  Students in the study hall must be working on homework, studying, or reading.  Other activities will not count.  Students may not spend their time in study hall text messaging or talking on their cell phones.

Is it true that students can make-up "U's" by donating blood?

YES!  If a student donates blood during one of the school blood drives, Mr. Gerlach will get a list of donors from the blood drive sponsors and will automatically remove one "U" from the student's transcript.  There is normally a blood drive at BEHS in the fall and another one in the spring.  If a student donates blood somewhere else and brings definitive proof to Mr. Gerlach that he or she has donated blood, this will also count toward removing a "U."  Donating plasma will not count toward clearing a "U" since people normally receive payment for "donating" plasma.

Can family members donate blood on behalf of a student in order to remove one of that student's "U's"?

NO!!

Can I make-up a "U" by participating in a school activity?

NO!!

If I know that I am getting "U" can I start to make it up before it actually appears on my transcript?

Yes -- if the end of the trimester is drawing nigh and a teacher has informed a student that he or she is going to receive a "U," the student can begin to work it off even before it officially appears on the transcript, however, Mr. Gerlach cannot actually change the citizenship grade until it is officially posted?

Isn't this just a nefarious plot by the school to get more money?

NO!!  We would greatly prefer to have students work-off their "U's" rather than pay them off.  Students who work-off their "U's" benefit the community as a whole not jus the school.  They have the opportunity to build a network in the community and to begin an actual resumé.  Additionally, they have the opportunity to learn about the natural consequences of their actions.  Students who pay-off their "U's" may learn this lesson too, but all too often their parents bail them out and deprive their children of this learning experience. 

Incidentally, the option of paying-off a "U" was introduced as a way to help students who did not have time to work them off because they were too busy with a part-time job.  The original intent was that the students would pay-off their "U's" with the money that they earned from their part-time jobs.  Additionally, the amount of the fine was originally intended to reflect the amount of money that a student would earn in a part-time job by working the same number of hours that would be required of a student who chose to work-off the "U" rather than pay it off.