Application Process
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Each spring or fall, juniors and seniors who have been students at Fairfield Warde High School for at least one semester and have a rolling grade point average of 3.9 or better, will be notified of their eligibility for candidacy to our local chapter of the National Honor Society. Eligibility does not guarantee acceptance. Membership is an honor bestowed upon candidates who show evidence of outstanding character, service and leadership by the NHS faculty council. Eligible juniors will receive a letter to apply in February and seniors will receive a letter in September.
Candidates must demonstrate character, service and leadership.
Character
Each candidate will be asked to provide 6 references. Each person listed will complete a recommendation form. Three may be from individuals outside the school community. These individuals should have knowledge of your character, service and leadership capabilities and be able to rate you in these areas on a 1 to 4 scale. Candidates must maintain an average score of 3 or higher to be considered. Only 6 references should be submitted.
Leadership
Each candidate will be asked to provide evidence of involvement in at least three organizations, two of these must be for two or more years. Two of these organizations must be within the FWHS community. All FWHS coaches and advisors of organizations included in this section must be given one of the recommendations forms. Candidates must document leadership abilities and earn a minimum score of 8 using the leadership rubric.
RUBRIC: A score is given for each leadership position listed on the application and the scores are added together to obtain the total score.
4: Holds office in club, class or activity; or Captain (Co-captain) of sports team(s); or Committee chairperson of major social event (i.e. Homecoming) and regularly demonstrates leadership; or has served as manager in paid employment position that can be verified by employer.
3: Has submitted written proof from official activity advisor of a major role in promoting/organizing a school or community activity (Blood Drive, Giving Tree, Student Forum rep); or Has served in a supervisor role in a paid employment position which can be verified by employer.
2: Has not served in leadership role but demonstrates cooperation with leadership figures which can be substantiated in writing by an adult associated with the activity.
1: Observable student involvement does not indicate leadership initiative.
Examples of leadership rubric scores:
4 – Office in any club, class or activity in one of over 80 FWHS service organizations or clubs.
– Captain (Co-captain)/ Manager of sports teams.
– Manager or assistant manager in a paid position
– Committee chairperson of a major social event or activity: Can tab drive, Share the Spirit, Relay for life, Diabetes walk, Baking committee, All-night social fundraiser, Santa’s house, Gift wrapping at Boarders.
– Editors of yearbook, school newspaper (Focus) or Lit. magazine(Odyssey),
– Director of school play.
– Leadership roles within the applicant’s religion. (i.e. choir director, Sunday school teacher)
– Boy scout or girl scout leader
3– Major role in promoting organizing school or community activity: Operation
Hope, Spring-Cleaning supply drive, Giving Tree, Stratfield Mentor program.
– Student Forum representative, house council membership.
– Camp counselor/ Lifeguard for at least one season.
– Supervisor role in a paid position.
– Babysitting or tutoring done for at least 12 months.
2– Demonstrated cooperation w/ any leadership figures in any club, sport, class or
activity. (i.e. member of swim team, part in school play, member of astronomy club)
Service Hours
Documentation of 10 hours of service, carried out within the candidate’s high school career, must also be provided. Upon acceptance, each candidate will be required to perform another 20 hours of community service during each year of membership.
The National Honor Society Council, comprised of members of the teaching staff, will examine the completed application packet and determine eligibility.
Once accepted into the Fairfield Warde High School chapter of National Honor Society each member shall be required to maintain the GPA of 3.9 or higher. If their GPA falls below this standard the member shall be placed on probation for the marking period. If, at the end of the marking period, the individual has not given evidence of the requirements, the individual will be subject to dismissal.
Members must also maintain the code of ethics, which is the cornerstone of their acceptance. Members will be dismissed or candidates denied membership if they are found to have violated the FWHS academic integrity code, consistently broken school rules, been involved with controlled substances or been involved in civil offenses.
Dismissal
Members will be dismissed or candidates denied membership if they are found to have violated the FWHS academic integrity code, consistently broken school rules, been involved with controlled substances or been involved in civil offenses. Members will be dismissed if they have unexcused absences from meetings or events or have not completed and documented their community service by the appropriate deadline. Members will be notified in writing through homeroom of their impending dismissal and will have the right to a hearing with the NHS faculty council. The faculty council determines whether or not dismissal is warranted and members are notified in writing of the decision.
Serious infractions of school rules will result in dismissal or non-selection. These infractions include, but are not limited to, the following:
Vandalism
Theft
Possession of weapons or facsimiles thereof
The possession, use, sale, or distribution of alcohol, drugs or drug paraphernalia
Physical fighting or assault
Abusive language
Insubordination
The possession, use, sale, or distribution of fireworks
Threatening, intimidation, harassment, bullying, or other unacceptable behaviors deemed disruptive to the school environment
Gambling, all forms of legal or illegal gambling including card playing and sports betting
Repeated infractions of school rules
Violations of the ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
Academic dishonesty at Fairfield Warde High School is defined as, but not
limited to:
Using or possessing unauthorized notes or electronic devices during a test or quiz.
Copying or possessing another student’s work during a test or quiz.
Sharing answers during a test or quiz.
Giving information to others who have not taken the test or receiving information from those who have.
Copying another student’s class work or homework or allowing your work to be copied.
Plagiarizing another person’s work from any resource (periodical, book, internet, fellow student, older brother or sister etc.) and submitting it as one’s own.
Plagiarizing by paraphrasing or using parts of another person’s work (ideas, text, images, etc.) without citing it as a resource in context or in a footnote.
Using an electronic, computer-based, or Internet site and/or program translator for the purpose of completing any written or oral class assignment including homework in world language class.
Special notes: The consequences described above apply to the first incident in which an infraction occurs. Repeated incidents or one incident involving multiple infractions will result in non-acceptance for an applicant and dismissal for a current member. Senior applicants: Reapply next year will be treated as accepted on probation. Juniors who are not accepted but are eligible to reapply as noted above can be accepted in the fall of their senior year on probationary status as long as they have no additional infractions. There is no formal appeal process for non-selection. Non-selected students will be advised on an individual basis.