[mattdavis11]

I don't think we had a mandate to volunteer to graduate high school. However, there were vocational options where you had to work, and got out of school early to do so.

I did not participate in any of that.

We had fund raisers where students could volunteer their time to raise money for specific functions, events, or other. For instance, the band would use school resources to wash cars (water), things of that nature. Not sure if they had to or not. They probably did if they were on the team, club, etc...

One that raised a lot of money for each senior prom was a park and ride. The school was about a half mile from where the PGA played the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament each spring. Faculty and students would sell parking spots, then shuttle them to the gate, and pick them up at the end of the day.

I figured, if they can sell parking spaces on a publicly owned parking lot, so could I, but on the street. We lived closer to the golf course, and people would rather walk than sit on a crowded bus to and fro. I set out cones up and down my street and charged $5. One year, I asked mom and dad if I could open up the back yard, I was sold out. I made a killing! The police put a stop to it and barricaded the streets years later.

While I do think volunteering is a good idea, it should not be mandatory.