Our middle school gives students the option to forgo the credit for high school work done in middle school, keeping the grade off the transcript. Foreign language should start in kindergarten. It’s crazy that most schools ignore the absolutely uncontroversial fact that young kids learn language better.
I doubt your middle schooler would be happy volunteering with a parent in most settings. They are trying to separate from family and develop their own person. Plus- they do not want other students to see their parents et al. There is plenty of time to volunteer while in HS without parents.
OP- now you have many ideas. You will start saving for college and consider the HS schedule. Then you will wait a couple of years before the college search, testing et al. Your HS should have parent information nights for entering freshmen and later for colleges (junior year).
Be careful about this. In some instances, keeping the grade off the transcript means that the course doesn’t count toward the total number of courses required in the subject in high school. This could cause logistical difficulties.