Eligibility and Requirements
Eligibility
The Lancaster High School Chapter of the National Honor Society was chartered in 1933 to honor students who are outstanding in scholarship, leadership, service and character. Membership is never considered on the basis of grades alone. Students will be selected who demonstrate outstanding performance in all four criteria of scholarship, leadership, service and character.
Selection
Selection to NHS is a privilege, not a right. Students do not apply for membership in the National Honor Society; instead, they provide information to be used by the local selection committee to support their candidacy for membership. Membership is granted only to those students selected by the selection committee. The Selection Committee is an anonymous committee of five teachers who vote for the new NHS inductees.
The selection process involves choosing junior and senior students who have achieved a 3.400 GPA by the end of the previous year.
This list of candidates will be posted on October 11, 2023 and then goes before all staff and students.
Each qualifying student is notified of his/her candidacy and provided with an Activity Information Packet in person. The packet is an opportunity for a prospective member to provide any information about himself or herself that the selection committee can evaluate: athletics, work history, volunteer work, special circumstances, a biography, etc. it is the student’s obligation to provide the required information and return the Student Activity Information Packet to Ms. Blair (Room 158) or Ms. Julien (Room 214) no later than the specified date. Failure to complete the packet gives insufficient information about the student to the committee, indicates the student’s lack of interest, and automatically disqualifies the student for membership. The NHS advisors will send emails or call home to try to get the packet all students.
The staff rates the candidates on a 0-4.0 scale in areas of character, leadership, and service and can write any additional comments about each candidate. The staff member signs this evaluation form and submits it to the NHS advisors by the specified date.
The NHS advisors receive the teacher evaluation forms and student identification packets, and scores are compiled.
The results of these evaluations are presented to the selection committee. Members of the selection committee vote on each student, based on scholarship, character, leadership and service. A simple majority of votes is needed for selection. The selection committee evaluates the average (mean) score in each criteria. No individual teacher’s evaluation will determine a student’s selection.
Candidates selected for membership will be notified at school on a specified date.
Parents and guardians are notified of their child’s acceptance with a letter on that same day.
The Induction Ceremony will be held in the Lancaster High School Auditorium on a specified date.
Community Service
Parameters:
National Honor Society is an opportunity for young adults to volunteer for numerous organizations and events. Lancaster High School NHS members must earn 20 hours of volunteer service per year from one of many community service opportunities through the LHS Chapter of the NHS or from outside organizations.
LHS NHS Chapter Service Projects:
American Red Cross Blood Drives – September, December, February
A Gift of Time
Peer tutoring during study halls
After School tutoring – Sherman and Ewing
Elementary school spring carnivals
Other school/community requests – year round
Other examples in the community:
church camp
mission trip
athletic camp
outdoor education
other organizations – please check with Ms. Blair or Ms. Julien for approval