The Lancaster High School Chapter of the National Honor Society was chartered in 1933 to honor students who demonstrate excellence in each of the four pillars of the NHS: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Although students are invited to provide information for selection based on grades first, membership is never considered on the basis of grades alone. Instead, students will be selected based on their outstanding performance in each of those four pillars.
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 Lancaster High School’s faculty council to support their candidacy for membership. Membership is granted only to those students selected by the faculty council, which 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 unweighted GPA by the end of the previous year.
This list of candidates will be posted in October of each year.
Each qualifying student is notified of his or her candidacy and provided with an activity information packet in person. The packet is an opportunity for the prospective member to provide any information about him or herself that the selection committee can evaluate: athletics, work history, volunteer work, leadership roles, special circumstances, etc. It is the student’s obligation to provide the required information and to return the activity information packet to Ms. Blair (room 138) or Ms. Julien (room 214) no later than the specified date and time. The student’s failure to complete the packet or to provide sufficient information about him or herself to the committee indicates the student’s lack of interest and automatically disqualifies the student for membership. Although the NHS advisors will do their best to make sure each qualifying student receives a packet, ultimately, it is the student’s responsibility to pick up the packet and turn it in on time.
The Lancaster High School staff rates the candidates on a 0-4.0 scale in areas of character, leadership, and service and can include additional comments about each candidate. The staff member signs this evaluation form and submits it to the NHS advisors by a specified date.
The NHS advisors receive the student information packets and compile the scores from the teacher evaluation forms, both of which they share with the faculty council.
Members of the faculty council vote on each student, based on scholarship, character, leadership, and service as demonstrated on the student information packet and the average (mean) score in each criterion from staff evaluations. A simple majority of votes is needed for selection. 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.
National Honor Society is an opportunity for young adults to volunteer for numerous organizations and events. Lancaster High School NHS members must earn 10 hours of service in their first year of membership and 20 hours in their second year by being involved in the many community service opportunities offered through the LHS Chapter of the NHS and by outside organizations. Members who successfully complete their required volunteer hours will be given a National Honor Society medal to wear at graduation.
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
Note: One hour per year of membership must be earned in support of an activity sponsored by NHS.
church camp
mission trip
athletic camp
outdoor education
other organizations – please check with Ms. Blair or Ms. Julien for approval