Four students representing Springfield High School accepted the national bronze level award for outstanding service by a high school Tuesday night in Washington. The designation, awarded at the 40th annual National Jefferson Awards ceremony and nicknamed the "Nobel Prize of Public Service," honors Springfield's Students in Action program as one of the top three in the nation.

The students who traveled to Washington -- Mackenzie Abel, Julia Boehler, Aaron Siedler, and Joseph Wood -- were nominated by their classmates to represent the school. They left for the capital before dawn on Monday, accompanied by Kristina White, the Jefferson Awards regional director and community impact director at Leadership Toledo.

"Springfield's SIA program has made it so service is celebrated in the same way as academics or sports or the performing arts," Ms. White said. "It's not just one or two more students doing community service. They've really changed the culture."

Leadership Toledo oversees SIA programs in 24 Toledo-area high schools, part of a nationwide initiative. Each chapter operates slightly differently, but all share one characteristic: a council of students -- recognized as campus community service leaders -- presents awards to classmates for individual service contributions. The goal, the program's Web site says, is to recognize and reward service to foster a tradition of volunteerism among youths. This is the fourth year that schools in the Toledo area have participated.

At Springfield, SIA leaders used a novel approach to promote community service on campus. At the beginning of the year, they presented each freshman with a nickel. The coins, which carry the face of the awards' namesake, Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president, represented the five hours of service required of each Springfield student.

Five cents alone may not be much, but added together the nickels can make a difference, the leaders told the younger students. The same goes for community service, they said.

The results amazed administrators at Leadership Toledo and the high school. In one year, Springfield's total volunteer hours increased by 69 percent; the schoolwide average is now 15 hours per student. For that accomplishment, a panel of five judges awarded Springfield first prize among the 24 high schools at the Toledo Regional Jefferson Awards in March, qualifying them for the national round of judging and a trip to Washington.

Contact Jessica Shor at: jshor@theblade.com or 419-724-6516.

First Published June 20, 2012, 4:15 a.m.