National Honor Society Selection Criteria Fall 2015

What is National Honor Society?  NHS was established to recognize outstanding high school level students. NHS honors students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Character. There are over 1 million members of NHS in the US.

Membership  Membership in the National Honor Society is both an honor and a responsibility. Students selected for membership are expected to continue to demonstrate the qualities of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Qualifications  A student at OHS for at least one semester  Be a junior or senior  Hold an overall average of 90% or higher  Demonstrate outstanding performance in all four criteria of: scholarship leadership service character

Scholarship:  Hold an average of 90% or higher  This average is unweighted and not rounded up  This average is calculated from 9 th grade through the end of your sophomore or junior year (depending on your current year)

Leadership – 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

Leadership - continued  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

Service – the student who exercises service:  Volunteers and provides dependable and well organized assistance, is gladly available, and is willing to sacrifice to offer assistance  Works well with others and is willing to take on difficult or inconspicuous responsibilities  Cheerfully and enthusiastically renders any requested service to the school  Is willing to represent the class or school in inter- class and inter-scholastic competition  Does committee and staff work without complaint

Service - continued  Participates in some activity outside of school, for example, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, volunteer services for the elderly, poor, or disadvantaged  Mentors person in the community or students at other schools  Shows courtesy by assisting visitors, teachers, and students

Character - qualities  A person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect responsibility trustworthiness fairness caring citizenship

Character – the student who exercises character:  Takes criticism willingly and accepts recommendations graciously  Consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise, and stability)  Upholds principles of morality and ethics  Cooperates by complying with school regulations concerning property, programs, office, halls, etc.

Character - continued  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, avoiding cheating in written work, and showing unwillingness to profit by the mistakes of others  Actively helps rid the school of bad influences or environment

How are you selected?  Selection to NHS is a privilege, not a right. Students provide information to be used by the selection committee to support their candidacy for membership.  Membership is granted only to those students selected by the Faculty Council.

The Faculty Council  Shall consist of five voting faculty members, appointed annually by the principal  Will be provided with copies of: Student applications Faculty review sheets Summary of attendance and discipline records  Will meet to review and discuss materials provided  Selection for membership to the chapter will be by a majority vote of the faculty council

Reconsideration  Reconsideration of a Faculty Council’s decision must be a rare occurrence if the council is to be expected to take its assignment seriously.  It is important to uphold the integrity of NHS standards and to recognize the potential danger of yielding to pressure tactics.

Applications are due to Mrs. Wolfgang in Room #324 by 3:15 on Wednesday, October 7 th – NO EXCEPTIONS!