National Honor Society - requirements?

[Deb in IA]

What are the requirements for NHS membership in your child's school?



I remember - waaaaay back in the olden days - when I was nominated for membership. Candidates were basically selected by the high school teachers, on the basis of the scholarship, leadership, character, and service. And I remember a "tapping out" ceremony, where the newly selected candidates were "tapped" by current members?


DD is a 10th grader, and last week, she brought home her NHS nomination packet. Now, in her school, there is a point system to determine membership. Everyone who has a 3.5 GPA qualifies for 25 scholarship points. The packet then has forms for the other areas - leadership, service, and character. The candidate is required to get a minimum of 5 forms in each area signed by an adult, documenting their activities and their hours served. If a candidate can get 85 total points, they qualify for membership.

Does your school do this? And is there no more "tapping out"?

 

[becka]

I don't remember "tapping out" but I seem to remember that you had to have a certain GPA and 2-3 teacher recommendations to be invited to join. I also seem to remember that you were required to show that you had been an active participant in school clubs/activities but I can't remember the specifics. There may also have been a community service requirement as well.

 

[KelNottAt]

Funny you should ask... I was just looking this up this morning. Here's what I found. http://www.nhs.us/s_nhs/sec.asp?CID=125&DID=5269

It doesn't say much (anything?) about points. Perhaps that's a chapter variation.

 

[Laz]

If you check the last paragraphs on the opening page of the Web Site, it clarifies that it is up to the indivual school and its faculty to set the criteria:

Specific standards for these criteria may vary from one school to the next. Such variations are acceptable as long as they do not fall below the national standards set by the National Council of the NHS and NJHS. All chapters are required to write down the criteria and procedures used in their local selection processes. The Honor Society adviser maintains copies of the local procedures and has them available upon request. Any student in grades 10 through 12 in a school with both an official charter of the National Honor Society and an affiliation with the national office is eligible for consideration for membership in NHS. For NJHS, any student in the second semester of the sixth grade or grades 7 through 9 in a school with both an official charter of the National Junior Honor Society and an up-to-date affiliation with the NJHS national office is eligible for consideration for membership in NJHS.

Once a school has established a chapter, all membership selection for individual students is handled through the local school chapter.

Each school set different rules about who is nominated and who is not as long as they meet the minimum standard.

 

[MerryPoppins]

My DD 15 is a sophomore this year and becomes a member next week. She was nominated by a faculty member based on her grade point and leadership qualities. She then had to fill out a several page application showing activities (school and outside school), leadership and community service hours. It was very complicated and she had to have signatures for each community service she listed. She also had to have signatures of three current teachers and a letter of recommendation from someone outside school. After all that, her packet went before a group of teachers who made the final decision. Our understanding is that her chapter also requires a number of community service hours and certain gradepoint to remain a member in subsequent years.

I was a member of National Honor Society in high school in this same district and I don't remember it being nearly this complicated. But then that was a number of years ago.

 

[Deb in IA]

My experience is similar to MerryPoppins'.

I saw that section in the NHS website, about local chapters deciding selection criteria too. That's why I wondered what other chapters typically do.

 

[rascalmom]

It definitely varies by school - my dd had to meet requirements similar to MP's description above, as well as maintaining a certain GPA and earning a number of community service points to maintain membership each year.

I have a friend with a dd in another high school - SAME district - they have far fewer requirments at that school. I was surprised that the qualifications were different within the same school district.

 

[MerryPoppins]

That's interesting. So it can vary from one school to the next within the same district. Wow!

I've been sitting here thinking. I was also a member of Oklahoma Honor Society in high school. I don't think I've heard of anyone at our school being a member of that. I wonder if it's even still in existence? I may have to google it.

 

[mickeyboat]

Back in the dark ages (o.k., the late 80's), I don't remember having to do anything to be nominated. I think the teachers just did it themselves. We did have a ceremony, and did not have to do any community service.

I am pretty sure the schools in this area require community service. There are kids from a local HS who run a French Club at my daughters' school for community service.

Denae

 

[NCRedding]

In the late 70's (wow, that seems so long ago), our school's election into NHS was by teacher nomination based upon grade point average and leadership, reviewed by a panel of teachers. The student didn't even know of the nomination. We had a spring ceremony where only 12 were inducted (by tapping on the shoulder during an assembly); then in the fall a larger group was inducted, also by "tapping out".

At this same school, now; there is an application process that involves essays, and confirmation of community service. Most people seem to think it is more "who you know" than scholarship, etc. Of course, these are the generally the people whose children didn't get it. DD will go thru this process in two years--I expect if she gets in, I'll think it is a great process recognizing the top students. If she doesn't, I'm sure I'll think it is a "chosen one, who you know" kind of thing. They have an evening get together with the new inductees and parents, so no surprise like in my day.

 

[j's m]

Back before the dark ages (late 60's) it was based on scholarship and teacher nomination. Of course, that was before they decided kids should also do community service. I don't think I had to fill anything out, for either junior or high school.

 

[Katie]

At our school is it is based only on teacher recommendations.

If you have a 4.0 on a 5.0 scale, your name gets on the ballat, and then the teacher's vote.

Last year, we had a girl with a 5.0 GPA, , yearbook staff, Miss Our Local town Name, softball, volleyball, and basketball player for the school.
She didn't make it. The teacher's felt she already had enough recognition! What?????(by the way, this is NOT my DD or my DD friend even)

Basically, if the teacher's pets make NHS..which makes the whole idea at this point ..pointless!

 

[Deb in IA]

In the late 70's (wow, that seems so long ago), our school's election into NHS was by teacher nomination based upon grade point average and leadership, reviewed by a panel of teachers. The student didn't even know of the nomination. We had a spring ceremony where only 12 were inducted (by tapping on the shoulder during an assembly); then in the fall a larger group was inducted, also by "tapping out".

At this same school, now; there is an application process that involves essays, and confirmation of community service. Most people seem to think it is more "who you know" than scholarship, etc. Of course, these are the generally the people whose children didn't get it. DD will go thru this process in two years--I expect if she gets in, I'll think it is a great process recognizing the top students. If she doesn't, I'm sure I'll think it is a "chosen one, who you know" kind of thing. They have an evening get together with the new inductees and parents, so no surprise like in my day.

That's how I remember it too, NCRedding. And I knew our school did that "tapping out" thing . . .

Now, we are in a different state, and our DD attends private school (I was in public school), so I was surprised at how different the process is. But it sounds like all schools are requiring more than just a teacher nomination. Which I think is good - otherwise, it could just be a club of the teachers' pets.

 

[Katie]

yep,, that is the case here

 

[Galahad]

At DS's school you have to have a 3.5 to get on the list to be considered for a nomination. Teachers then nominated them. The student fills out their activities and such. Then all of their previous year's teachers comment on each candidate. There is not a point system. Some kids were hard-done-by IMO when they had a particular teacher with whom they had a bad relationship as a Freshman (14 years old, after all). Just one teachers' negative comments is enough. Some of DS's friends that should clearly have been included were excluded. DS was inducted, but he "boycotts" the organization this year because of these practices.

 

[momrek06]

My DS' are h.s. Classes 2000 and 2004. One attended a public h.s and one a private h.s.

They BOTH were given "special" invitations by their high school based on their gpa's (one was 3.75 and the other was 3.85).

They both then had to be able to SHOW, leadership, character and community service to the NHS Review Committee.

Upon receiving their invitation to the NHS, they then each had to seek out within their schools, a # of their teachers to write them letters of recommendation to be then submitted into the Review Committee.

At the time of their invites both my DS' were very involved in not only their h.s. BUT they were able to show leadership, community and service through the fact they were high ranking boy scouts as well.

One DS actually saw a good friend BY PASSED because despite fabulous grades he had NO school involvement (other than attending classes) NO leadership and NO community. This same friend was so devastated about not getting the "official" non for NHS, that year he went out and got himself involved in EVERYTHING and the following year he was then given an invite and ultimately selected for NHS.

The ONLY difference I saw with my DS' and NHS was the public h.s. did not accept students into their Chapter until 11th grade. The private h.s. my other DS attended, accepted students into their NHS Chapter in the 10th grade.

BOTH DS' schools put on a wonderful ceremony inducting the new students into each of their Chapters. It was a fabulous evening to invite all your family and friends. The students wore special gowns for the ceremony. The media came and took many pictures for the newspaper. It is a very proud moment for Mom and Dad!!!

 

[tar heel]

We have Beta Club instead of National Honor Society. When my son was inducted, you had to have a 3.7 GPA. If you fell below that, you had one semester to correct it or you were kicked out.

 

[momrek06]

We have Beta Club instead of National Honor Society. When my son was inducted, you had to have a 3.7 GPA. If you fell below that, you had one semester to correct it or you were kicked out.

Yes, well those are the rules WITHIN the Chapter.

With my DS' Chapters, you HAD to maintain a certain gpa AS WELL AS show continued leadership, community AND volunteer hours and attend all the NHS meetings.

At both DS' school, they would go into school extra early and stay late after school as the NHS at both schools did tutoring to all the students in the h.s. that needed extra help. This went towards volunteering.

Once you were selected and made the decision to join, you than had to become a very active member within the Chapter.

 

[NookOfTheNorth]

NHS sets minimum standards that each school is to use for acceptance into NHS. My school is very similar to momrek05's. The students must first have a minimum GPA, and they are then "invited" to fill out a student activity form that includes leadership, community service and school activities, as well as teacher recommendation. According to NHS national bylaws, a school must then have a 5 member faculty council identify those students who will be invited to join. We then had an induction ceremony comparable to momrek05's, except there are no gowns and the senior members recieve their honor stoles for graduation.

If you are curious about your child's schools requirements, you should be able to get it from the school. I posted our Constitution on the school website so anyone could find out if they so chose.

NHS is supposed to be more than just good grades, and that sometimes angers/disappoints parents. They see that their child has these stellar grades therefore he/she should be automatically a member. It can be a difficult situation and that's why I resigned from my position as advisor.

ETA: We also do the point system...it really takes the subjectivity out of the process. 80 points is our cutoff; however, kids that have those points can be "rejected" if they have 3 or more negative comments from teachers. In my 5 years as advisor, there was only 1 kid that happened to.

DEBinIA, make sure your daughter is not modest. She needs to really include everything she has done in high school.

 

[Green Tea]

Ours had to apply. Only ones who were academically qualified could apply, I think. Forms to fill out with service related things, recommendations from teachers.