NHS Presentation 14 November 2017

Agenda What is NHS? Why students want to join What are the requirements? What are members expected to do? When can I apply? When do I find out? Questions??

What is NHS? The National Honor Society Founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in Pittsburgh You may have belonged to the fodder group – NJHS Way to recognize excellence in students that demonstrate the four national pillars – character, scholarship, leadership, service NOT a GPA club

Why should I apply for NHS? It looks great on a college resume 83 current members out of approximately 600 eligible students It is one of, if not the largest group on campus Integration of more service and leadership activities that can be fun Read Across America, group trip?? There is a level of prestige and pride that go along with being a member

Requirements GPA of over 3.5 Scholarship Being an exemplary behavioral example in the classroom, demonstrate good decision making Character Commitment to the community through service projects and volunteering Service Take on a leadership role in various extracurricular activities Both school sponsored and non-school sponsored Leadership

Expectations All members are expected to: Attend monthly meetings Tutor for at least two hours throughout the school year Participate in the school’s recycling program Join a subcommittee and become a full member of that group participating in the officer’s request Take part in ALL assigned activities throughout the year (Thanksgiving Food Drive, Adopt-A-Bear, Induction, etc.) Uphold the four pillars of the club – Scholarship, Leadership, Character, Service

Applying You are invited to apply at the conclusion of the first semester of your sophomore year if you have a GPA of over 3.5 This does NOT guarantee acceptance! You are sent a physical letter in the mail that details the application process It is somewhat time consuming and requires you to gather evidence of why you are a strong candidate Make sure that your application is given BEFORE the deadline!!!!!

Applying (continued) Potential members are sent electronic, fillable forms that ask for examples of ways service and leadership are shown It is required that you put contact information for individuals (non-family) that can verify participation Make sure that you tell those individuals that you have added them as a recommendation to your application Sometimes my calls/e-mails go unreturned because the verifier didn’t know Try to get e-mail addresses; it is MUCH easier for me to send e-mails than call. Fill out the forms so that you actually describe how leadership and service have been shown in the last calendar year

Applying (continued) Finally, you must obtain five “recommendations” from teachers/staff members of the high school Should be, but do not have to be, more recent teachers Not a formal recommendation; a Google Form that has the teacher describe your in class performance – both academic and integrity/character Pick teachers who you think know who you really are, not just the ones you currently have

Now what? Within two weeks of applying, data is compiled for each student; there are no names left on applications and as many distinguishing characteristics as possible are omitted A Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) in conjunction with the academic dean will review ALL applications The FAC names are not released The academic dean is present to make sure that no bias is introduced and that every application gets a fair look The FAC looks over data and makes its decisions student by student All candidates who completed an application will receive a physical letter in the mail informing you of your acceptance or declination Those that are accepted will be sent a code for a Google Classroom for new NHS members Those that are declined are welcome to apply next year or appeal the FAC’s decision New members are inducted on April 10 in a formal ceremony