MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR 2024-2025
Did you miss the NHS Application Info Session in June? The slideshow from the event can be found below.
NHS PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS: THERE WILL BE A MANDATORY AFTER SCHOOL MEETING ON OCTOBER 1ST IN THE AUDITORIUM FOR THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE AND INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR NHS. This meeting is mandatory for all eligible students interested in applying, but all are welcome to attend.
MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS - 2024-2025
Expectations are all members will embody the traits within the
Four Pillars of National Honor Society
SCHOLARSHIP: "Productivity is never an accident." Juniors and seniors who have accumulated a grade point average of 3.75 or higher are eligible for nomination to the Helen Ackerson chapter of the National Honor Society. The grade point average for junior year is computed after the completion of eight full marking periods. Senior year GPAs are computed after the completion of twelve full marking periods. All eligible juniors and seniors will be invited to apply in September.
CHARACTER: "Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you." As a member of the Holmdel High School Community, students are expected to demonstrate and model positive character traits, both on and offline. Qualities include respect, acceptance, tolerance, empathy and social inclusion. Your actions should represent the standards of HHS and the meet the expectations of all positive attributes associated within character education.
LEADERSHIP: "Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better." We are looking for examples of substantive situations where you took responsibility for organizing people toward a common goal OR examples of workshops/seminars you’ve attended to grow and learn in the area of leadership.
Leadership and Character Evaluation Forms: For the 2024-2025 school year, applicants must additionally submit four evaluation forms in total: two leadership and two character OR one leadership and three character. Forms may be submitted electronically via email to the NHS Advisor from the evaluator directly. Applicants may ask no more than two staff members to evaluate them. Physical evaluation forms must be submitted in a signed and sealed envelope. These evaluations should be delivered to the NHS advisor in a sealed envelope signed by the recommender. Applicant’s name and graduation year must be on the front of the envelope. An application that does not include the minimum recommendations will not be accepted.
Access the Leadership Evaluation Form here.
Access the Character Evaluation Form here.
Please note: recommendations may not be filled out by a family member or friend.
SERVICE: "The best way to find yourself is through the service of others." For those applying in the 2024-2025 students must have completed 50 hours of community service since entering high school. This does not include sports, clubs, or other extra-curricular activities. You may start counting service hours in September of your Freshman year. You may receive hours from the following:
Hours from school sponsored community service (community service opportunities promoted by clubs and extra-curriculars)
Hours from non-school sponsored community service (below is a list of previously accepted community service activities).
Personal development activities done outside of school, like piano, karate, etc. will not be counted
For the 2024-2025 school year, you must also verify that you have participated in at least three school-community building activities here at HHS, which may include a sport or extra-curricular activity that you are not receiving academic credit for. For example, if you are receiving academic credit for playing in pep band, pep band cannot count towards your community building activity.
All hours must be verified using the community service verification form(s) available here.
Community Service Verification Form
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ACCEPTED COMMUNITY SERVICE
"In-School"
All HHS Sponsored Events and Service Learning Projects
All official Holmdel High School Extra-Curricular Club Volunteerism (Participation in Relay For Life, Key Club, Team UNIFY, Students for Students, etc.)
"Out-of-School"
Community Service, & Service Learning Projects that take place outside of Holmdel High School
Remember: Not all volunteer (unpaid) work is considered community service. We are specifically looking for work with nonprofit organizations and those that directly benefit the community.
1. Hospitals – Bayshore, Riverview, and Centrastate were the most common hospitals our students used for service hours. Senior citizen/Nursing homes – Sunrise Assisted Living
2. Religious service projects/ Volunteering at the cultural center
3. Chinese School volunteer teachers and assistants
4. First Aid/Fire Departments including EMT training/Police Explorer
732-946-3239 http://www.holmdelfirstaid.org/
5. Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts – community events only(not meetings), Most Eagle scout projects (please check with NHS advisor)
6. Habitat for Humanity
Phone: (732) 728-0441 https://www.habitatmonmouth.org/
7. ASPCA/SPCA
8. Public Libraries
Hazlet: 732-264-7164 http://www.hazlettwp.org/library2
Middletown: 732-671-3700 http://mtpl.org/
Eastern Branch: (866) 941-8188 http://www.monmouthcountylib.org/
9. Sports Camps-volunteer service only
10. Monmouth County Parks (VIP: Volunteers in Parks)
Coordinator of Volunteers at 732-842-4000, ext. 4283 melissa.bezahler@co.monmouth.nj.us
11. Bayonet Farms Earth Day Festival
12. Holmdel Day
13. American Cancer Society
14. Count Basie Learning Center- Tutoring must be affiliated with a structured organization. Private tutoring not accepted.
15. Aslan Youth Ministries, tutoring, outreach, etc
Janis Marler Janis@aslanyouth.org Phone: 732-741-7824
16. Middletown Women’s Club
Email: Barbara Mitchell durness1354@verizon.net
17. Mission/Relief work projects
18. Soup Kitchens/ Lunch Break
Phone: Cindy Sagosz (732) 747-3430
19. Cinderella’s Closet
http://www.cinderellasclosetmc.org/
20. Calico Cat Thrift Shop/Cupboard & Pantry
Phone: 732-671-8775 http://monmouthcog.org/index.html
21. Senior Centers
lincroft.avc@sunriseseniorliving.com
22. Love, Inc./ Project Angel
Phone: 732-542-7012 www.loveincnj.org
23. Teach-2-Learn
Email: kdougherty@holmdelschools.org
24. Clean Ocean Action
(732) 872-0111 http://www.cleanoceanaction.org/
25. Holmdel Township Green Team/Community Garden
Matthew Conlan http://www.holmdeltownship-nj.com/479/Community-Garden https://sites.google.com/site/greenteamholmdel/
26. Husky House
http://www.huskyhouse.org/volunteer
27. 3Hearts4Paws
Phone: (732) 970-3654 http://www.3hearts4paws.com/
28. HABcore
Phone: 732-544-1975 www.habcore.org
29. Furnished with Love
Phone: 732-222-1923 www.loveincnj.org
30. Lifeguard Ecumenical Foundation
John Amabile Jr. www.lifeguardnj.org
31. Little Bunnies
Hope Raymond http://www.littlebunnies.org/littlebunnies/Welcome%21.html
32. First Presbyterian Church Red Bank
Phone: (732) 747-1348 www.towerhillchurch.org
33. Challenged Youth Sports
James Gelpke jgelpke@holmdelschools.org
34. Emmanuel Cancer Foundation
Rosemarie Contereras rcontreras@emmanuelcancer.org
35. Volunteering with facilitation of Relay for Life
https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=109814
Types of Volunteer work that are NOT considered community service by the NHS Faculty Council:
1. Service at a private doctor’s office/EMO
2. Service at a private law firm
3. Service at a family-owned business or private business of any type. This includes
Private tutoring (not done through an established organization)
Private Babysitting (unpaid or paid)
Helping a neighbor (not through an established organization)
Work with an organization where volunteering is a requirement for your (or someone else's i.e. little brother's) membership
Example: "pay to play" athletic leagues, such as the Hawks, where parents and/or siblings must volunteer time in order for a child to play
8. Internships (personal development is not community service)
9. Political Campaigns
10. Job Training, CIT/ Counselor in Training: Job training is considered as getting ready for a paid position and therefore is not considered volunteer work even if unpaid [Note: some park system volunteers may still qualify]