COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SELECTION PROCESS OVERVIEW, 2017

Selection to the National Honor Society is a privilege awarded to selected students based on criteria established by the local chapter in compliance with national guidelines and the NHS Constitution. Students do not apply for membership in the National Honor Society; instead, they provide information to be used by the local selection committee (Faculty Council) to support their candidacy for membership. This is not an election, nor is membership automatically conveyed simply because a student has achieved a specified level of academic performance.

The NHS Selection Process is as follows:

·  Eligible students (those with a minimum 3.000 cumulative GPA, of sophomore standing or above, and who have attended CHS for at least one trimester) are invited to complete the Candidate Information Form, located on the Columbia High School Website. Once a candidate has been identified as academically qualified, no further consideration of academics is permitted under NHS guidelines. Therefore, class rank and GPA are not provided to the Faculty Council.

·  Question and answer sessions, scheduled during lunch, are provided by the adviser Mr. Olin, to assist in completing the Candidate Information Form. Interested students are encouraged to learn when these sessions will be held and to attend.

·  All completed Candidate Information Forms and accompanying essays must be turned in to the chapter adviser, Mr. Olin, by 12:10 P.M. Monday, May 15, 2017. No extensions will be granted. Incomplete documents will be given NO further consideration.

·  All completed Candidate Information Forms and accompanying essays are forwarded to the Faculty Council. Each Council member is provided with copies of student essays in advance of deliberations to allow adequate time to read the submissions.

·  The Faculty Council meets to consider each candidate for membership using an established process – see below. A majority vote is needed by the Faculty Council to be selected for membership.

·  Once the Faculty Council has voted and determined newly selected members, these students will be notified of their NHS selection in writing. Candidates not selected will be given the opportunity to meet with the adviser to clarify the reason(s) for non-admittance.

·  Successful applicants will be honored and inducted at the Spring Awards Ceremony.

·  The rubric below will be used for evaluating Candidate Information Forms and essays

The following process will be used by the Faculty Council to evaluate each candidate:

  1. The Faculty Council deliberates on the merits of each candidate’s Leadership, Service, and Character, as provided in the Candidate Information Form. Candidates should be aware that failure to follow the rules established in the CHS Student and Athletic Handbooks, or breaking school district policy may exclude the candidate from consideration.
  1. A rubric (shown below) is completed by each member of the Faculty Council for each of the three criteria and the essay. To move to the discussion portion of the process, the candidate must receive an average score of 20 or higher. Lack of evidence in any of the categories of Leadership, Service, or Character will prevent the candidate from advancing.
  1. A vote is taken on each candidate after all rubrics and discussions are complete. Membership will be offered to those candidates receiving a majority vote by the five-member Faculty Council. The chapter adviser will vote only in the event of a tie. All decisions are final.

The rubric below will be used for evaluating Candidate Information Forms and essays

3 / 2 / 1 / 0 / Score
Leadership
(x3) / High evidence of leadership qualities/positions / Sufficient evidence of leadership qualities/positions / Minimal evidence of leadership qualities/positions / No evidence of leadership qualities/positions / Score at left x3 =
Service
(x3) / Outstanding signs of volunteering/service in/out of school; and/or interscholastic competition / Sufficient signs of volunteering/service in/out of school; and/or interscholastic competition / Minimal signs of volunteering/service in/out of school; and/or interscholastic competition / No signs of volunteering/service in/out of school; and/or interscholastic competition / Score at left x3 =
Character / Essays should address THREE of the following 6 Pillars of Character:
(1)Respect, (2) Responsibility, (3) Trustworthiness, (4) Fairness, (5) Caring, and (6) Citizenship
1st Character Trait: / Strong explanation / demonstration of 1st character trait / Average explanation / demonstration of 1st character trait / Minimal explanation / demonstration of 1st character trait / No explanation / demonstration of 1st character trait / Score at left
2nd Character Trait: / Strong explanation / demonstration of 2nd character trait / Average explanation / demonstration of 2nd character trait / Minimal explanation / demonstration of 2nd character trait / No explanation / demonstration of 2nd character trait / Score at left
3rd Character Trait: / Strong explanation / demonstration of 3rd character trait / Average explanation / demonstration of 3rd character trait / Minimal explanation / demonstration of 3rd character trait / No explanation / demonstration of 3rd character trait / Score at left
Essay
(x1) / Compelling essay with sophisticated support of the topic with specific, illustrative details.
Minimal Errors in conventions / Satisfactory essay with obvious support of the topic with specific, illustrative details.
Few Errors in conventions / Weak essay with little support of the topic with specific, illustrative details.
Obvious Errors in conventions / Unsatisfactory essay, or no support of the topic with details that are specific or illustrative.
No evidence of Proofreading / Score at left
Acceptable / Acceptable / Not Acceptable / Not Acceptable /