The National Honor Society chapter of Hillsboro-Deering High School is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of the National Honor Society.
Membership is open to those students who meet the required standards in four areas of evaluation: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Students are selected for membership by majority vote of a 5-member Faculty Council, appointed annually by the principal, which bestows this honor upon qualified students on behalf of the faculty of our school each year. The chapter advisers are also appointed by the principal and facilitate all selection procedures and chapter activities during the year.
Students in the 2nd semester of their sophomore year are eligible for membership. For the scholarship criterion, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or better on a 4.0 scale. Those students who meet this criterion are invited to complete an Application Packet that provides the Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership and service. A history of leadership experiences and participation in school or community service is also required.
To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council obtains additional professional input. First, official school disciplinary records are reviewed. Second, members of the faculty are requested to provide their professional reflections on a candidate’s service activities, character, citizenship, and leadership. This input and the Application Packet are carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine whether each candidate meets the criteria for membership. A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection. Following a review of the results of the Faculty Council voting, candidates are notified regarding selection or non-selection according to a predetermined schedule.
Once the notification process is completed, a formal induction ceremony is held at the school to recognize all the newly selected members. Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all criteria that led to their selection. This obligation includes regular attendance at chapter meetings held weekly during the school year, and participation in all of the chapter service projects(s). Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can contact the chapter advisers.
Transfer Students to H-DHS: Per the NHS National Constitution (Article VIII, Section 6): "An NHS member who transfers to another school and brings a letter from the principal or chapter adviser to the new school adviser shall be accepted automatically as a member in the new school’s chapter. Transfer members must meet the new chapter’s standards within one semester in order to retain membership."