The
National Honor Society was founded in 1921 by the National Association of
Secondary School Principals. According
to this organization, a student must demonstrate outstanding performance in the
four criteria of scholarship, leadership, character and service.
Based on the scholarship criteria, students will be invited to a meeting
where they will fill out an application in October or November.
Meeting notification will be made via morning announcements and will be
posted in all offices. Selection to the National Honor Society is a
privilege, not a right. Students must provide the Faculty Council with the
necessary information to support their candidacy for membership.
The current academic requirement needed for consideration is a GPA of 3.70 at the end of the sophomore year for a junior or at the end of the junior year for a senior. The students who have met the scholarship requirement are then eligible for consideration on the basis of service, leadership, and character.
Excellent = 4
Good = 3
Fair =
2
Poor = 1
Non-existent = 0
Leadership
is rated by the faculty for each applicant on a scale of 0-4, based on the
criteria below. The single highest
and lowest ratings are dropped and the remaining scores are averaged for a final
rating.
The
student who exercises leadership:
，
Is
resourceful in proposing new problems, applying principles, and making
suggestions
，
Demonstrates
initiative in promoting school activities
，
Exercises
positive influence on peers in upholding school ideals
，
Contributes
ideas that improve the civic life of the school
，
Is
able to delegate responsibilities
，
Exemplifies
positive attitudes
，
Inspires
positive behavior in others
，
Demonstrates
academic initiative
，
Successfully
holds school offices or positions of responsibility; conducts business
effectively and efficiently; demonstrates reliability and dependability
，
Is a
leader in the classroom, at work, and in other school or community activities
，
Is
thoroughly dependable in any responsibility accepted
，
Is
willing to uphold scholarship and maintain a loyal school attitude
，
Student
may be quiet and still possess positive leadership skills through the actions
listed above
A
person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect,
responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
Additionally, a student of character:
，
Takes
criticism willingly and accepts recommendations graciously
，
Consistently
exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise,
stability); actively helps rid the school
of bad influences or environment
，
Upholds
principles of morality and ethics
，
Cooperates
by complying with all school regulations
，
Demonstrates
the highest standards of honesty and reliability
，
Regularly
shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others
，
Observes
instructions and rules, is punctual, and faithful both inside and outside the
classroom
，
Has
powers of concentration, self-discipline, and sustained attention as shown by
perseverance and application to studies
，
Manifests truthfulness in
acknowledging obedience to rules, avoids cheating in written work, and shows
unwillingness to profit by the mistakes of others
The
following provides some expectations regarding the service requirement:
，
Students must have been actively involved in combination
of at least three
school and community service groups or projects for more than 45
hours cumulatively for juniors and 60
hours for seniors.
，
Service
hours will be calculated based on activities performed since January of the
previous year.
，
School service may include
clubs/organizations, music, drama, publications or sports but may not be
limited to only one of these.
，
The
variety, consistency, value, and depth of service will be reviewed by the
faculty council. They will be looking for a pattern of on-going involvement.
，
School
clubs and activities will be assigned a maximum
of 5 hours depending on involvement and ratings from advisors. For example, a
club that meets once or twice a month may be worth an hour, whereas a club that
meets every week and participates in a number of events may be worth up to
5 hours. School service will be evaluated by advisors and faculty council
members.
，
Sports
or drama productions will be worth a maximum
of 15 hours (or 1/3 of the total service requirement) depending on level of
involvement and advisor ratings.
，
Service
hours must be activities for which the student did not receive academic credit
or monetary compensation and were not performed as a requirement for another
honor society.
，
Community
service must be documented on letterhead by the supervisor of the organization
involved and must include the student¨s name, description of service
completed, time frame, and a contact phone number.
The
overall quality of the student¨s service will be based on the following:
，
Willingness
to render service to school when called upon
，
Shows
courtesy by assisting visitors, teachers, advisors, students, and/or
administrators
，
Volunteers
and provides dependable and well-organized assistances
，
Willingness
to sacrifice to offer assistance
After completed applications are submitted for consideration,
a faculty committee evaluates the information.
Students can earn a total of 4 points for leadership and 4 points for
character. They will also review the service hours, focusing on variety, depth,
consistency, and value of the activity. The decisions of the faculty council are
final and are not subject to appeal unless there is a technical or procedural
mistake such as erroneous averaging of grades.