Starting this upcoming summer, Archbishop Riordan High School plans to institute a new program called Serviam that introduces regular acts of service to the student body. Serviam, the Latin word for “I will serve,” and the teachings of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade inspire this program.

Although this program may seem new to students, it is far from new to dedicated members of Campus Ministry, who have continued to organize this program dating back to 2021.

According to one of the lead organizers, Campus Ministry Director Alex Datoc ’87, “The school decided to change from [community service] hours to opportunities back in 2021-2022, but because of Covid-19, we weren’t able to roll out a new system because we were getting acclimated to our new co-ed environment. This process has taken four years, and we are finally ready to roll out a new service opportunity program.”

For new and returning students going into the 2025-26 school year, Serviam will consist of two service opportunities: “Service to the School and Service to the Community.” These two requirements will replace hours and focus on a curriculum that inspires different types of involvement.

Serviam is also a curriculum-integrated program, as it will be introduced by Theology teachers this following school year and have a corresponding assignment related to it.

According to Dr. Oliver G. Meneses, another key organizer of this program and member of Campus Ministry, “Reflections, projects, and even tests will be given to students based on the service opportunity they have involved themselves with.”

Students will be able to find suggested service activities through various resources, including an app called MobileServe and Riordan’s website. Using these resources, students can easily discover service activities without having to struggle for ideas.

CORE team member Briana Alvarado ’26 is extremely excited about the new opportunities this program will bring to students.

She expressed passionately, “As a member of CORE team, I am constantly doing acts of service for our school and community. The chance to give back is an extremely rewarding experience that I hope the rest of the student body will love.”

Students who also wish to go above and beyond their required service opportunities will be rewarded with House points.

For more information, check the school website here.