Hanover Central Honor Society
Advisor: Mr. Steve Gustas
The National Honor Society encourages excellence in the areas of character, service, scholarship, and leadership. The Hanover Central chapter is composed of juniors and seniors who have satisfied the following requirements:
1. Character. Candidates will demonstrate excellence of character in their actions and will complete an essay on character. Behavior such as academic dishonesty, suspensions, athletic code violations, and other violations of school policies, or violations of civil law may welllead to a candidate not being selected or being removed from the organization. Faculty and administration are invited to weigh in on candidate character assessment - these recommendations, both positive and negative, count heavily in the application process
2. Service. Candidates will show community service through volunteering for non-profit organizations. Candidates will give evidence of at least 25 service hours performed since the beginning of their freshman year. Members in good standing will perform ongoing service hours at specified levels. Acceptable servicehours are anyhours preformed for a not-for-profit organization and aretotally voluntary in that no credit orcompensation of any sort is involved.
3. Leadership. Candidates will demonstrate leadership through involvement in school activities as well as some position where they are leading others.
4. Scholarship. Candidates and members in good standing will maintain a minimum 3.500 cumulative G.P.A.
Application materials will be due in the fall of the year to apply for membership. Candidates build a portfolio that shows evidence of their leadership and service. In October the Selection Committee reviews the portfolios and selects qualified applicants as new members. Once chosen, members will regularly attend NHS meetings and projects, and continue to do community service.
Application and Selection Process for National Honor Society, HCHS Chapter
While the Advisor (Mr. Gustas) is always happy to speak with parents, students should consider the fact that they are applying for membership in a select group for which leadership is a significant criteria.
1. Any student who starts their junior or senior year with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or higher may be a candidate for the National Honor Society. Information will be distributed to the prospective students usually around the beginning of October.
2. Candidates are encouraged to attend an informational meeting, which explains the process for selection. At this meeting students will learn about the Selection Criteria and the deadline for submitting documentation. The date and time of this meeting will be made known through the school announcements and an invitation letter will be given.
3. Students will complete a portfolio documenting their leadership and service during their recent high school career. Methods of documentation are explained at the informational meeting. Students must turn in all documentation in the specified format by the deadline set. No documentation will be accepted after the deadline for any reason. All documentation must be complete and follow all guidelines to be considered for application. Please check to be sure all pages of the application are attached.
· Application Personal Data Sheet
· Application Signature page
· Leadership Personal Statement
· Application Resume (Student Activities, Work Experience, Service/Volunteer Activities, Awards and Recognition pages)
4. Staff members are invited to comment onthe character of applicants according to the Selection Criteria and make recommendations - positive or negative. The Advisor will check for documentation of inappropriate behavior. This information weighs greatly with regards to acceptance in NHS.
5. Candidates are notified individually about their acceptance/denial. The Principal may hear appeals of any candidates who are not selected.
6. To officially become a member, selected candidates and a parent must verify understanding of the bylaws and accept the offer of membership. New members are invited to attend an induction ceremony at the Hanover Central Auditorium. This usually occurs at the beginning of November.
7. To remain in the National Honor Society members must continue to demonstrate scholarship, leadership, service, and character. In particular, all members must school complete ongoing community service each year to remain a member of NHS.
Comments
The selection process described above is meant to create a system that meets all national guidelines and maintains high standards of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. .
Selection to the National Honor Society is a privilege, not a right. Students do not actually apply for membership. Instead, they provide documentation to support their candidacy that the Faculty Council uses in making its decision.
Local chapters of the National Honor Society are not legally obligated to share with parents or students information concerning selection decisions. Parents or students who seek more information about the selection decision should consult the Principal or the Advisor and should not attempt to contact the Faculty Council members.
Hanover Central High School
National Honor Society
Application Due Date: October 2, 2015 at 8:05am
Members of the class of 2016/2017 are eligible to receive an application.
What are the academic eligibility requirements?
· A minimum grade point average of 3.50.
· No ‘D’ grade on the student transcript (grades 9 -11)
· No 'F' grade on the student transcript (grades 9 -11)
· A minimum of one semester of attendance at Hanover Central High School
What if I retake a class that I received a D or an F? Am I eligible to apply to the National Honor Society?
If the original D or F remains on the transcript, you are NOT eligible to apply for membership.
What is the National Honor Society?
The National Honor Society was founded in 1921 "[t]o create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools." It honors the students at Hanover Central High School who epitomize its four pillars: Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Service.
How are members of the Hanover Central chapter selected?
The NHS Faculty Council of the Hanover Central chapter reviews the applications of all junior/seniors who meet the deadline and academic eligibility requirements.
What criteria are used to judge the "four pillars"?
Character – Three teacher recommendations and their student character attribute ratings are reviewed. Questions about character raised by faculty are also considered.
Scholarship – The applicant’s grade point average is the primary factor used to evaluate scholarship. The student transcript is also reviewed for rigor or challenge of course work.
Leadership - Applicants are required to submit a brief essay detailing an experience with leadership. A resume that lists work history and extracurricular activities is also required.
Service - Applicants demonstrate meaningful community service experiences that were completed after their 8th grade year.
What does the Hanover Central chapter expect of its members?
Members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate the qualities of character, leadership, scholarship and service that led to their selection.
Members must attend weekly meetings with chapter sponsors and participate in all chapter sponsored activities.
Member dues of $15 must be paid to paid upon notification of acceptance.
Hanover Central High School
National Honor Society
Application Checklist
The application pages should be in the following order.
Personal data page with photograph of yourself (scanned photo is acceptable)
Signature page (with live signature, not computer generated)
Personal Statement
NHS Student Activity Page
HNS Work Experience Page
NHS Service/Volunteer Activity Page
NHS Awards and Recognition Page
The application is complete if all of these pages are included.
Applications must be received by October 2, 2015 by 8:05am.
Deliver completed application to Mr. Gustas in room 764.
Applications dropped off at office or in mail box will not be accepted.
Applications e-mailed must still be printed and presented by due date and time.
Hanover Central High School
National Honor Society Application
Personal Data
Name: ______
Last First Middle
Address: ______
Number and Street
______
City and State Zip Code
______
Home Telephone E-mail
General Directions: Use the checklist to be sure all parts of the application are included. Follow the specific directions on each page.
Handwritten applications will NOT be accepted. Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed.
Return your completed application to Mr. Steve Gustas in room 764.
Deadline: October 2, 2015 at 8:05.
Applications dropped off in mailbox, to the front office or e-mailed will NOT be accepted.
Hanover Central High School
National Honor Society Application
Signature Page
To be completed by the applicant:
Have you ever been suspended? If so, please explain the circumstances.
I understand that completing and submitting this application does not guarantee selection to the National Honor Society. Not all students to submit an application will be selected. I attest that the information presented here is complete and accurate. I understand that falsification of any information in this application could lead to non-selection or removal (if your selection is based on inaccurate or false information.) If selected, I agree to abide by the standards and guidelines of the chapter and to fulfill all my membership obligations to the best of my ability.
Name: ______
(Printed)
Signature: ______
(Date)
To be completed by the parent or guardian of the applicant:
I have reviewed the application and give permission for my child to apply to the Hanover Central chapter of the National Honor Society. Name: ______
(Printed)
Signature: ______
(Date)
Hanover Central High School
National Honor Society Application
Personal Statement
Directions: In the space provided below, answer the following question in your own words.
MUST BE TYPED! (Spelling and grammar are taken seriously when grading)
Describe why leadership is an important characteristic to have for membership in the National Honor Society? How have you demonstrated leadership? (300 word maximum)
NHS Student Activities
In this section please indicate your participation in both athletic/non athletic events. These can be within or outside of HCHS.
Name of Activity Grade of Participation Leadership Role (Y/N) and type Advisor/Coach
HCHS Cross country 9, 10, 11 Yes – team captain 11 Mr. Smith
Student council 9, 10 No Mrs. Johnson
NHS Work Experience
Describe your paid employment during the school year only.
Indicate how many hours you work each week.
Do NOT include work done at home and paid by parents.
Place of Employment Briefly describe duties Est. # of hours worked Supervisor and Phone Number
John’s Pizzeria make pizzas 10 since freshman year Bob Smith (219) 555-1212
NHS Service/Volunteer Activities
School/Non School Related
Indicate service activities associated with a school organization.
Briefly describe the activity.
Indicate the school organization the activity is associated with.
Minimum of 25 hours to be provided (School or Non-school activities)
Activity/Organization Briefly describe the activity School year Number of Hours
and Sponsor (#) (9 – 10 – 11 – 12)
Worked food kitchen Helped make/serve food at local food pantry 10 5
with Student Council
(Mary Smith, sponsor
555-1212)
Boy Scouts Raked leaves at local nursing home 9,10,11 3
(Mark Johnson, sponsor)
NHS School/Non-School
Awards and Recognition
Indicate related special recognition, top awards, and top honors at national/state/school levels.Do NOT include "Who's who references.”
If it is a semester award, indicate semester.
Do not include items you have listed elsewhere
Award/Recognition Brief Description School Year and Semester
Perfect attendance Did not miss a day of school 2014 – both semesters