On Thursday, March 11, a group of Juniors and Seniors will be inducted into SBHS’s National Honor Society in a ceremony that will be held in the school’s auditorium.
Every year, eligible students are given the opportunity to apply to the NHS. Juniors or Seniors with an unweighted GPA of 3.6 (class of 2026 is the last year of using the weighted GPA system) are invited to the NHS Google Classroom. It is not mandatory to fill out the attached documents, but it is much recommended. These applicants should be present in their school community, have school engagement, and have a certain amount of volunteer hours. Juniors are expected to submit 50 volunteer/engagement hours (either done in or out of school) while Seniors are expected to complete a minimum of 75 hours of service. But the real question being asked is who decides which students enter the society?
Though many think that NHS Advisors Ms. Marchetti and Mrs. Liguori are the ones who make each decision, that is not the case. “So I guess it’s unfair to say we’re not involved in the selection process,” said Ms. Marchetti. “We are in the room when it is happening, but we’re not the ones who are making all of the decisions. It’s usually made by the team, and then the really tricky applications will come to us. We kind of sit vulnerable, so we’re there, but we’re not reviewing packets of applicants like everybody else is.” The word “team” is used because the group of individuals making the decision of entry are an undisclosed group of staff and teachers at SBHS. This information is not publicized in order to protect the objectivity and anonymity of the selectors.
The most common reasons for a student not being accepted is an occurrence in the student’s code of conduct, or the fact that the student did not engage in school activities, or does not have the required volunteer hours. It is uncommon to see a student rejected if their application is clean and they demonstrate ethical behavior. The NHS packet committee does not accept those who act unethically or commit an act that will get them removed such as cheating or receiving an integrity violation.
So you see, the NHS selection process is concise and private. It is based on this undisclosed group meeting to discuss and accept students, while sending harder decisions over to the advisors (those with incidents in their code of conduct, which are then reviewed with the admin team). If you are interested in becoming a member of the National Honor Society, maintain a 3.6 unweighted GPA or higher, abide by class and school rules and stay active within your school and community. These factors will help you earn an invitation to be invited to apply to SBHS’s chapter of the National Honor Society.
