Membership
by Dawn Moser
Membership is based on four areas: scholarship, leadership, character, and service. A faculty advisory committee meets to determine if students meet the membership criteria.
Scholarship: Students will qualify scholastically for membership if they have a 92% cumulative grade point average after three semesters of study. Once a student has been admitted, he/she must maintain a cumulative grade average of 90%. If the cumulative average falls below a 90%, the student is given a warning and has the next semester to bring it back up If the student fails to do this, he/she is notified in writing of his dismissal from the National Honor Society and is not eligible for membership again.
Leadership: Members must have held at least one responsible elected office (president, secretary, annual editor, student council member, HOBY representative, FFA, FCCLA, etc.) in a school organization with a recommendation from a faculty sponsor of that organization indicating that the individual met all obligations of that office; the student must belong to two or more school organizations (this would include their class organization); and the student must participate in one of the following: athletics, vocal music, instrumental music, drama, speech, or vocational activities.
Character: These qualifications are voted on by the
faculty. The student needs a 2/3 "yes" vote of the total
"yes/no" votes cast in order to become a member. Character is
defined as follows:
Integrity: No recorded incidents of cheating or
intentional dishonesty
Positive behavior: No record of skipping classes or of
knowingly violating school regulations. No record of civil
offenses with the community.
Cooperation: Willing to assist classmates, faculty
members, etc.
Ethics: Does the "right" thing in most situations.
Service: Student's service activities listed on the
information they provide to the selection committee shall total a
minimum of 20 hours/year. At least 1 project should be an
on-going commitment over a period of 3 months or more. If the
student does not participate in a long-term project of 3 months or
more, then, 25 hours of service will be required. Service
hours should not be projects for parents or close relatives.
Service during school hours may be counted if it is a
personal act of service (rather than a group), which requires the
student to miss study hall or part of a lunch period.
Besides the required hours of service, the
committee will be considering the following questions as they
relate to the students:
1. Does this student volunteer and
provide dependable and well-organized assistance? Are thy
gladly available and willing to sacrifice to offer assistance?
2. Does this student work well with
others and are they willing to take on difficult or inconspicuous
responsibilities?
3. Does this student cheerfully and
enthusiastically render any requested service to the school?
4. Is the student willing to
represent the class or school in inter-class and inter-scholastic
competition?
5. Does this student do committee and
other work without complaint?
6 Does this student show courtesy by
assisting visitors, teachers, and students?
