How Do I Become A Member?
Generally, one does not "apply" to
become a member of National Honor Society as you would other clubs or
organizations. One is selected to become a member by the Advisory Committee (an
advisory board made up of 5 members of the faulty). The process for this
selection begins at the beginning of the school year and is a series of steps
toward that selection.
Selection and membership is based on the 4 virtues of NHS: Character, Service, Leadership and Scholarship. Each of these 4 virtues are an integral part of the selection process and all potential candidates are expected to exhibit examples of each. All 4 virtues carry the same weight and deficiencies in any of them could be cause for non-selection. Membership in the organization is not just about getting good grades. The selection by the Advisory Committee is final and membership is not guaranteed to anyone. Like life, there is some subjectivity in the selection process, as a result there may be a couple who should get in and don’t; and a couple may get in who shouldn’t. It is to be considered an honor to be selected and it is no reflection on you as a person or your character if you are not chosen for membership.
STEPS TO SELECTION:
1. Mid-September: scholastic eligibility determined. The Adviser will generate a list of all juniors and seniors who have an accumulated GPA of 3.5 or better. The adviser will then determine if those students meet the enrollment requirements. To be a potential candidate a student must be registered at Clear Fork High School and have attended a total of 2 semesters for Juniors and 1 semester for Seniors.
2. Early October: remaining 3 virtues eligibility determined. The list of names generated by the Scholastic requirement is then presented to the faculty of the high school who rate each candidate in the areas of character, service and leadership. They are to rate only those who they know and feel comfortable doing so. Those three columns are then averaged and any student who scores a 3.5 or higher average is named as a potential candidate. The Advisory Committee will meet to determine if any of those below a 3.5 are worthy of potential membership. Character is defined as how you act when you think no one is watching. The potential candidate’s character, actions in and out of the classroom and reputation will play an important part in the decision of the Advisory Committee.
3. Early October: character eligibility. The students identified as potential candidates will then receive a letter asking them to give information pertinent to their activities, service and leadership. In order to become a potential candidate, a student must have participated in at least 2 different activities in each year of their high school career, starting with their sophomore year. These activities can be either in or out of the school setting. Ideally, one should have a combination of both. They are also to point out any service or leadership that they have performed as part of their membership in these activities. Service and leadership do weigh heavily in the decision of membership by the Advisory Committee and it is highly recommended that potential candidates provide specific examples of both. They are also given a packet for character references. They need to obtain 2 teacher recommendations and 1 coach/advisor recommendation that can attest to the character of the potential candidate. Once this process is complete, those students who have met all eligibility requirements are now candidates for possible selection.
4. Selection. Once all the eligibility requirements have been checked, the list of students who have met all requirements will be turned over to the Advisory Committee, along with all pertinent information and forms. The Advisory Committee will then meet, usually the 3rd or 4th week of October, to select those students who they feel exemplify the 4 virtues of National Honor Society. The decision by the Advisory Committee is final and each candidate should remember that being selected is not guaranteed to anyone and that not being selected should not be viewed as a negative reflection of their character or worth.
5. Selection will be followed by a tapping out ceremony (usually last week of October) and induction (1st week of November).
Selection and membership is based on the 4 virtues of NHS: Character, Service, Leadership and Scholarship. Each of these 4 virtues are an integral part of the selection process and all potential candidates are expected to exhibit examples of each. All 4 virtues carry the same weight and deficiencies in any of them could be cause for non-selection. Membership in the organization is not just about getting good grades. The selection by the Advisory Committee is final and membership is not guaranteed to anyone. Like life, there is some subjectivity in the selection process, as a result there may be a couple who should get in and don’t; and a couple may get in who shouldn’t. It is to be considered an honor to be selected and it is no reflection on you as a person or your character if you are not chosen for membership.
STEPS TO SELECTION:
1. Mid-September: scholastic eligibility determined. The Adviser will generate a list of all juniors and seniors who have an accumulated GPA of 3.5 or better. The adviser will then determine if those students meet the enrollment requirements. To be a potential candidate a student must be registered at Clear Fork High School and have attended a total of 2 semesters for Juniors and 1 semester for Seniors.
2. Early October: remaining 3 virtues eligibility determined. The list of names generated by the Scholastic requirement is then presented to the faculty of the high school who rate each candidate in the areas of character, service and leadership. They are to rate only those who they know and feel comfortable doing so. Those three columns are then averaged and any student who scores a 3.5 or higher average is named as a potential candidate. The Advisory Committee will meet to determine if any of those below a 3.5 are worthy of potential membership. Character is defined as how you act when you think no one is watching. The potential candidate’s character, actions in and out of the classroom and reputation will play an important part in the decision of the Advisory Committee.
3. Early October: character eligibility. The students identified as potential candidates will then receive a letter asking them to give information pertinent to their activities, service and leadership. In order to become a potential candidate, a student must have participated in at least 2 different activities in each year of their high school career, starting with their sophomore year. These activities can be either in or out of the school setting. Ideally, one should have a combination of both. They are also to point out any service or leadership that they have performed as part of their membership in these activities. Service and leadership do weigh heavily in the decision of membership by the Advisory Committee and it is highly recommended that potential candidates provide specific examples of both. They are also given a packet for character references. They need to obtain 2 teacher recommendations and 1 coach/advisor recommendation that can attest to the character of the potential candidate. Once this process is complete, those students who have met all eligibility requirements are now candidates for possible selection.
4. Selection. Once all the eligibility requirements have been checked, the list of students who have met all requirements will be turned over to the Advisory Committee, along with all pertinent information and forms. The Advisory Committee will then meet, usually the 3rd or 4th week of October, to select those students who they feel exemplify the 4 virtues of National Honor Society. The decision by the Advisory Committee is final and each candidate should remember that being selected is not guaranteed to anyone and that not being selected should not be viewed as a negative reflection of their character or worth.
5. Selection will be followed by a tapping out ceremony (usually last week of October) and induction (1st week of November).