The National Honor Society is (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools. Membership in local NHS chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student by a Faculty Council and is based on the four pillars of NHS: scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
Some of the requirements of the WECHS chapter of NHS members include, but are not limited to:
volunteering at WECHS & for WECHS
help planning and participating in two major recruitment events
monthly meetings on the last Wednesday of each month from 4:45-5:45 pm (can be attended virtually)
help planning and executing a service learning project
Here is a link to the National Honor Society page for more info. There are a ton of resources here to help students prepare for their futures. NHS also offers scholarship opportunities.
GENERAL PROCESS: To become a member of the WECHS Chapter of the National Honor Society, you must complete a very specific process.
You must be formally invited by the chapter adviser to apply for membership. You will be invited based on your GPA, which must be a minimum of 3.5 weighted. Your invitation will be sent via e-mail to your school account. An invitation does NOT mean you automatically become a member.
You must complete an application process, which is explained further down the page.
You must be selected by a unanimous vote of the five members of the WECHS NHS Faculty Council based on their careful review of your application.
ELIGIBILITY: Consideration to be invited to apply for membership in NHS includes the following:
Candidates eligible for selection to this chapter must be members of the sophomore, junior, or senior class.
Candidates eligible for election to the chapter shall have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 (weighted).
Upon meeting the grade level, enrollment, and GPA standards, candidates shall then be considered based on their service, leadership, character, and scholarship.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Once you are invited to apply you may choose to begin the application process, which consists of the following (which will all be digitally sent to you):
Online application - Take your time and fill this out thoughtfully. NHS is a very prestigious organization and a team of five WECHS faculty members will carefully review your application before selection. All five members of the WECHS faculty council must agree on your selection.
Teacher recommendation - Your invitation e-mail will include a digital link that you will need to forward to your teacher of choice. DO NOT send these to Ms. Troche as she is the faculty adviser and will not fill them out for you. It is your responsibility to ensure that your teacher has filled this out on your behalf, so be sure to check in with them.
Community member recommendation -Your invitation e-mail will include a digital link that you will need to forward to a community member of your choosing that you feel could speak of your qualifying NHS qualities. These cannot be filled out by WECHS faculty/staff, nor can they be filled out by family members or close friends. It is your responsibility to ensure that the community member you have chosen has filled this out on your behalf, so be sure to check in with them.
SELECTIONS: Once the deadline for applications has arrived, the Faculty Council will begin reviewing your application. Upon completion of the review of all applications, selections will be made. E-mails will be sent out to all applicants indicating whether you were selected or not. If you are selected, you will officially become a member of the NHS upon payment of your dues and completion of an induction ceremony.
DUES: NHS has initial/annual dues of $20 for EACH member. To maintain our affiliation with the National Honor Society our chapter is billed $385 annually. Keep in mind that there are many benefits and rewards associated with NHS. Check out their website to browse all of the benefits of being a member.
INDUCTION CEREMONY: Dress code for the ceremony is as follows:
Women
Dress modestly in skirts, slacks, or dresses. Color of clothing should be black bottom, white top OR black bottom, black top, OR solid black dress, OR solid white dress. If wearing a dress or skirt, make sure the length is enough by holding your arms straight down on your side. If the hemline is above your fingertips it is too short. No bare shoulders. If wearing a sundress, a jacket or shrug is recommended. ABSOLUTELY NO DENIM!
Footwear should be black dressy shoes or black sandals or you may wear white if you are wearing an all white dress. Try for comfort as well. For safety reasons, high heels should be avoided, as you will need to walk up steps and across the stage. NO FLIP FLOPS OR SNEAKERS!
Men
Dress neatly in slacks with belts and tucked-in shirt tails. Dockers-style slacks are a good option, and it is preferred that shirts have a collar. Button-front dress shirts or polo-style shirts are also acceptable, and ties are optional. Color of clothing should be black bottom, white top OR black bottom, black top.
Footwear should be black dressy shoes. Try for comfort as well as you will need to walk up steps and across the stage. NO FLIP FLOPS OR SNEAKERS!
MEETINGS: NHS will meet on the last Wednesday of every month at 4:45 pm. Meetings will be over NLT 6 pm. Attendance is required. A calendar invite will be sent to you. You must RSVP to this invite. If transportation is an issue, you may attend virtually via the Google Meets link in the calendar invite. If you are unable to attend, you must provide documentation. Work is not an excuse!
SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT: Each chapter of NHS is required to do a service learning project each year.