Students can now donate an item to the Niles Township Food Pantry to deduct 10 minutes of their accumulated detention time. This decision was made by the deans of Niles West in order to encourage students to give back.

“We [the deans] are all very big proponents of community service. We feel that this is an excellent opportunity for students to give back to their community and turn a poor behavioral choice into something positive,” dean Timothy Dykes said.

All students, except those who have received a Saturday detention, are eligible for this opportunity.

“This applies to all students at Niles West,” Dykes said. “The only exception is for students who are assigned Saturday detentions that are due on May 21. Those must still be served.”

Students can turn in food items to the deans office any time between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to Dykes. This opportunity will be available until Thursday, May 26.

Students can also still serve their detention in the conventional way. This means in the BAC between 7 and 8 am, during lunch or during final exams. Detentions can also be served between 3:30 and 4:30 in room 2035.

Dykes highlighted the importance of making sure all detention requirements were completed before the school year ends.

“Students who do not take care of their detention obligations by the end of the school year will have additional consequences at the start of the 2016-17 school year,” Dykes said.