The criteria for both of the academic elite organizations are very similar.
Both organizations start by looking at students who show academic excellence with student classroom grades.
Please, be aware that while we acknowledge both groups for being All A or A/B honor roll students being a member of either of these two organizations is more than grades or grade point average (GPA).
criteria.pdfSouth Middle School Criteria
Using grades from the first two (2) 9-week grading periods students at South Middle School are offered invitations to apply to the academic elite organizations offered at the school.
No letter grade of D or F, for any class, is allowed for either organization.
One (1) C is allowed for Beta Club with the exception of a second C if a teacher for either C-earning class comes forward in support of the student.
All NJHS students must have two (2) teacher recommendations from the student's most current schedule of teachers.
All classes, core content and electives, are weighed equally.
A=4 B=3 C=2
Letter grades are converted to the above numbering. The sum number is then divided by the number of classes for the represented grading periods.
Using this formula, students with a number of 3.0 to 3.4 are invited to apply for Beta Club.
Students who get a number of 3.5 to 4.0 are invited to apply for the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).
Both of these organizations meet together with no preference shown to either organization. With this understanding, students belong to Beta Club or NJHS but not both, while at South Middle.
Unlike many chapters of both organizations, South Middle is open to all attending grade levels, 6-8.
Character and self-discipline are pillars for both organizations. Being mindful that the students of South Middle are at specific developmental stage in their lives, some leeway is given in the realm of discipline. While many chapters allow no transgressions, we allow up to twenty (20) blocks for various classroom infractions and only count blocks for talking at .5.
Students may have one (1) ISS listed, as long as the infraction(s) are not egregious in nature, such as but not limited to disrespect, multiple blocks in a week, horseplay, etc.
No student who is identified for any number of OSS days will be considered for either organization. Members who get OSS are put on probation and may lose membership for the remaining academic year. The student may reapply the following academic year, if the student meets the criteria for invitation.
Leadership qualities are essential to the Beta Club and the NJHS. Students of these organizations are expected to take active roles in group discussions, debates, and activities. These students are also expected to be role models and ambassadors for their peers and the entire South Middle School community.